


Not my boyfriend

by Kafria



Category: My Engineer (TV)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-28
Updated: 2020-08-09
Packaged: 2021-03-02 20:55:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 29,885
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24423139
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kafria/pseuds/Kafria
Summary: “New profile picture?” he asked. “We all know it’s his arm in the other one you know,” Bohn teased.“The tattoo’s cool. You know I’ve always wanted one,” King replied. “And why would I have him in my profile picture?” he added.“Well, your sister would love it!” Bohn’s smirk grew wider.“Don’t you encourage her, she’s bad enough as it is. She tried to bribe the twins with video games if they got a picture of us kissing the other day.” King said, only realising what he’d done after he finished. He listened as four bags were dropped back the floor and chair legs scraped as they were turned to face him. He winced as the storm broke over his head and they all started talking at once.Why is it everyone is convinced Ram is his boyfriend?
Relationships: King/Ram (My Engineer)
Comments: 71
Kudos: 558





	1. Not my boyfriend

**Author's Note:**

> So this is my response to Ep13.

The others were already in class by the time King arrived and slid into a spare seat they had left for him by the window. He’d been busy in the library, trying to find a couple of the books on his suggested extra reading so hadn’t made it to the courtyard this morning.The curtain billowed in the breeze, the light fabric brushing his arm in a gentle caress and King tucked it behind his chair in a vain attempt to keep it still. Boss was busy pestering Mek, reaching for a crisp packet that was being held out of reach and Bohn was smirking at his phone and tapping out replies as it chimed constantly with incoming messages. Tee huffed as he watched first the teasing couple and then his oblivious friend, turning to face King. He gave an exaggerated eye-roll as he motioned to them.

“Where were you? They’ve been like this all morning, no sense out of any of them?” he complained.

“Is there ever?” King replied with a smile, grabbing his notebook and pen from his bag and dropping them on the desk in front of him before hanging his bag over the side of the chair. Tee leaned forward and took Kings forearm in his hand.

“No you don’t get it, normally they talk to us too, not just each other. I’ve not had a word out of any of them except hello,” Tee moaned, shaking Kings arms slightly. King laughed at his friend as he gently disentangled his arms, rubbing the slightly sweaty sensation away.

“Please tell me you didn’t abandon us to meet Ram, I really will be on my own then.” Tee added

King sat back in his chair in surprise, head catching the curtain.

“Huh? I went the library, I only got back last night and I needed some books.” he replied, as he lifted a hand to smooth his hair back down.

Tee raised his eyebrows and attempted to wiggle them to show his disbelief. King just stared him down and before Tee could say any more the professor arrived to start the class.

King frowned to himself, why did Tee automatically think he had gone to see Ram. It wasn’t unusual for him to do his own thing and meet them in class instead of in the gear courtyard. Tee was often missing too, chasing girls in other parts of the campus, or busy with leading activities. He shook his head and lifted it to listen to the professor explaining the topic for the day, turning pages in his notebook and jotting a few things down.

The class was only about halfway through when his concentration was broken as Bohn nudged him in the ribs.

“How was your trip?” He asked.

“Good, really good,” King replied, a smile breaking out on his face. It had been nice to see his Grandmother. He sighed, wishing he could have stayed longer. It had been a relief to be away from the tension of the camp after the mess between Bohn and Deun. He missed the long summer breaks spent with her, pottering in the garden and tending all the plants. There was so much more space and so much more variety than in his condo. It was great to be fussed over too, with his favourite foods and silly gifts. “I brought 3 new plants back,” he added.

“More plants?” Bohn asked, just for the sake of it. He knew that nothing would stop King adding to his collection.

King reached over to give him a shove, mock pout in place and then broke into a grin. He looked at his friend, the corners of his mouth dropping slightly as he looked at Bohn. He looked better than when he had last seem him. He closed his eyes against the unbidden flash of hurt and angry Bohn and shook his head to clear it. Bohn quirked an eyebrow as he opened then again.

“How’s things with you?” King asked catching his eye to let him know he was really asking.

“Okay.” Bohn said, nodding his head. “Good, actually,” he added, a smile breaking across his face.

King waited expectantly as Bohn paused.

“After we got back he called, so we met up. He was angry, like you said. Said he wanted to know why, so I told him what really happened.” Bohn explained.

“Did he believe you this time?” King asked “Did he realise it wasn’t your fault?”

“He did eventually. Then he said maybe we were better off apart, and I thought about what you had said about talking to him. So I told him, about feeling like he puts everyone else above me, that he has no time for me. And that’s why I get so jealous even when I don’t mean to upset him. And he talked to me too.” Bohn broke off as a shy smile formed to complement the faint pink blush rising on his cheeks. King bit his lips to fight the smile he could feel fighting to get out. Bohn rarely let himself be this open and King didn’t want to make him feel anymore self conscious than he already was. Whatever Deun had told him had been good if that expression was anything to go by.

“We’ve talked a lot these last few days,” Bohn continued after a moment. “Really talked. It’s better.”

“So, are you back together?” King asked, wincing slightly when he heard how blunt he had been. But Bohn didn’t seem to mind.

“Not yet, Deun wants us to take it slow and figure things out together, but I think we’re getting there,” Bohn replied, a spark in his eyes.

King smiled, pleased that his friend seemed to be actually talking to Deun about things this time, not bottling them up and then taking his frustration out on the youngster. As if on cue Bohn’s phone chimed and he glanced at it, smiling as he typed another reply.

The sound of someone clearing their throat loudly caught his attention and King turned back to the front. He realised that the professor had set some problems on the board for them to try and was now watching him to make sure he started work. He turned to his notebook and started working through them, before he was interrupted by Boss asking for help. He turned to his friend, glanced at his page and then looked at him with a raised eyebrow.

“You haven’t started yet. Try figuring it out and then I’ll have a look” he replied.

Boss whined and then looked around the rest of them, receiving a round of head shakes. He turned back to Mek, grabbing his shoulders and laying his head on his chest and fluttering his eyes at him.

“Husband, help me,” he continued to pout and whine, but Mek pushed him off with a smile and a shake of his head. Boss stuck his pet lip out further and Mek leant over to whisper in his ear. Boss grinned and waggled his eyebrows at him before agreeing “Okay, but you better keep your promise,” he said pointing a finger at Mek. Boss turned to his work and started scribbling as Mek looked away shyly. Tee opened his mouth and took in a breath, before he stopped, shaking his head and muttering to himself.

“I don’t want to know.”

“No, you don’t.” King agreed. Tee let out a groan.

King smiled and turned back to his problems, checking his answers before sitting back. He spent the rest of the class watching the others, talking quietly with them when they asked him about some of their own work and scrolling through social media. He smiled as he found pictures from the trip of his friends, splashing in the water and planting trees. He browsed happily, liking some and retweeting others, making the odd comment, until he came across a picture that made him pause. It was the picture he had asked Ting to take at the waterfall, his flower crown on his head and Ram sat beside him. He smiled, remembering how much he had liked it, a crown for the plant king. Ting had captioned the photo “a crown for his king” and Tang had commented, “Wish ‘a very kind person’ would make me one”. King almost rolled his eyes when he remembered their conversation, but his grin dropped when he began to read the comments underneath speculating about a new couple and complaining all the engineers seemed to be pairing up. Again, people assuming he and Ram where more than junior and senior.

He looked up as Bohn waved in front of his face to catch his attention, glancing to the front of the room where the professor was wrapping up the class. He leant over to see what King was looking at so intently. He snorted when he saw the picture on his phone.

“New profile picture?” he asked. “We all know it’s his arm in the other one you know,” he teased.

“The tattoo’s cool. You know I’ve always wanted one,” King replied. “And why would I have him in my profile picture?” he added.

“Well, your sister would love it!” Bohn’s smirk grew wider.

“Don’t you encourage her, she’s bad enough as it is. She tried to bribe the twins with video games if they got a picture of us kissing the other day.” King said, only realising what he’d done after he finished. He listened as four bags were dropped back the floor and chair legs scraped as they were turned to face him. He winced as the storm broke over his head and they all started talking at once.

“The twins? When have the twins met Ram? Why have the twins met Ram? Since when do you meet Ram?” Bohn asked him, confused.

“You and Ram kissing? Are you finally ready to come clean? Do I need to defend my code junior from you? Is it time for the shovel talk?” Tee demanded at the same time, eyebrows raised and smirk stretched across his face

“Well they were nearly kissing when we saw them,” Mek said to Boss.

“A date in the park? Hmm what a nice idea.” Boss replied as the other two paused and looked at the couple, who nodded in confirmation.

“Day before the trip,” Mek told them.

“We weren’t kissing,” King protested, but was ignored as the others continued to talk around him.

“But dating? King’s not dating Ram. Don’t be daft,” Bohn insisted, turning back to face Tee and looking for support. “Deun would have told me.”

“They are. Have been for a while I think. His sister told me. Ram was at Kings condo,” Tee argued.

“What, you believed the queen of shippers?” Bohn demanded.

“Oh come on, have you been so wrapped up in Deun you haven’t noticed? Kings always tutoring him, the two of them disappear off together too. They disappeared alone when we went to Kings house. Who was he with after your fight? You? No, he went after the junior to check up on him.” Tee argued, counting his points on his fingers as he spoke. “The arm in the profile picture is Ram’s, he’s visiting the condo. Who else other than us does King invite there? And they hold hands!” he added, nodding his head at the others.

“Oh, I knew about the picture, but not the rest. So give us all the details,” Boss added, pulling his worst leering face. “It’s no use denying it, his friends know somethings going on too, they told me.”

“What I want to know is how long?” Mek asked. “And why didn’t you tell us?” he added turning to King.

“You’re dating him?” Bohns frown was so deep it looked as if the confusion was going to be permanently etched on his face. “Why would you date him?”

“He’s always interested in the unusual, the unique and you can’t deny that’s Ram,” Tee explained. “I should have realised after the first volunteer meeting.”

“Oh shut up! Shut up! I am not dating Ram, or kissing him. Just stop it!” King exclaimed, hands flapping in agitation as he looked around the room to check his classmates were leaving and not listening to this nonsense. The other four stopped their bickering and turned to him, waiting. He said nothing. He just flapped his hands a bit, before dropping them on the desk, blowing out a puff of air and banging his head on the desk, letting out a groan.

“King?” Bohn asked.

He looked up and saw all eyes still on him, Bohn still looked confused, that stupid frown creasing his forehead. Boss just looked gleeful at the prospect of gossip, while Mek looked sympathetic, puling Boss back towards him by the shoulder. Tee was grinning from ear to ear. He was going to have to explain.

“I was watching the twins while my sister was at work. That’s why you saw us in the park,” he said to Boss.

Boss frowned, “There was just you and Ram, no kids.” Mek nodded in agreement.

“They’d left by then.” He looked round his friends. They just looked back, skeptical looks on their faces. Except for Bohn, who still looked confused. King took a breath, best try get this over with. “Ram was staying with me, didn’t want to be at home. That’s all. So he was there when my sister dropped the twins off. That’s it.”

“He was staying with you when he phoned Deun?” Bohn asked quietly and King nodded.

The other three looked at each other, shrugging. While it seemed Bohn had caught up they were just as lost as they had been before.

Bohn glanced at them, “Deun got a call Ram was missing, I helped them look for him, but then Ram called Deun to say he was okay.” He turned back to King. “But how did you know he was missing?”

“I didn’t. I was walking back from getting some food and found him outside the condo, about to get soaked. I let him stay over,” he explained. Bohn still looked confused, but tipped his head to show he got it. King turned back to the others. “So, No dating. No kissing,” he said turning to Boss and Mek. “You know what my sister’s like,” he finished glaring at Tee.

“What about the tutoring and the hand holding?” Tee countered.

“I tutor lots of juniors - I tutor you lot sometimes, does that mean we’re dating?” King asked as the other recoiled at the idea. “and we don’t hold hands, he just doesn’t speak much so when he wants to go somewhere he just grabs my arm. That’s it!. Okay?”

“Okay” said Tee.

“If you say so,” teased Boss. The three caught each others eyes and smirked, not ready to give up the teasing. Tee turned back with a widening grin on his face.

“So he was staying with you before the trip. That’s why you both arrived at the same time?” he asked.

King rolled his eyes and nodded.

“He’s still at yours?” Bohn asked, cutting across Tees next comment.

“Not anymore, he left after the camp,” King answered an uncomfortable twist in his stomach as he remembered returning to the empty condo.

“Together, and late to the bus, what were you doing?” Boss teased, refusing to let Tees comment go.

“And did you really hit your head on a door?” Tee added.

King looked at them both and gritted his teeth. They weren’t going to let it go were they. They couldn’t just drop it. They were going to keep teasing him.

“I got hit by some weirdo in the park, needed stitches,” he told them. “Then I didn’t sleep well,” he added, cringing when he realised how that would sound to his friends who were determined to make his life a misery.

“Really,” asked Boss grinning again and then turning to Mek, “It’s the quiet ones you have to watch,”he added. Mek gave him a slap on the head for that while the others groaned. They were happy for their friends, but they didn’t want to think about it deeper than that.

“I had a headache, being hit over the head and having stitches is painful!”

“A headache…” Tee echoed “Hmm…”

“Yes,” King insisted. “Are you done?” he asked. “He’s not my boyfriend! No dating! No kissing!”

“Me thinks the lady doth protest too much,”Mek muttered to Boss, a smile breaking across his face and King reached out to swipe at him as they all began to laugh. King shook his head, giving up, he wasn’t dating Ram. If they couldn’t get it, that was their problem.

“Lunch?” he asked.

“Yeah, let’s go.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love the apparent contradiction in Ram and King. Ram the apparent loner, who is fiercely loyal and protective of those in his circle when he lets them in and King the outgoing team player who is self contained and self reliant.
> 
> I can well see it not even occurring to King to look for more, even when his actions show he is falling hard.


	2. A break up?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Not your boyfriend? Yeah right!” he heard, crashing into a suddenly stationary Ram. Looking up into Tee’s eyes King realised he and Mek had finally arrived from their last class. Perfect timing. Rams arm tensed as his clutch tightened on Kings wrist. Ram glanced back at him, suspicion clouding his eyes. Great!

Long shadows chased across the open page of Kings book. Establishing Deun as the moving obstacle blocking his light, King watched as he approached Bohn at the far end of the bench. Matching shy smiles threatened to break across their faces as their eyes met, reflecting their improved connection, every spare minute spent texting or meeting. An echoing smile stretched across Kings own face, Bohns habitual cocky grin failing to mask the happiness caught in the rays of evening sunlight.

Hunching down to rub at an unexpected sharp pain in his ankle, King scowled at Boss, owner of the offending foot. Twitching his eyebrows Boss began jerking his head to the side. King tore his eyes from the disturbing display to find Ram and Phu stood a little further away.

“Cool Boy?” he said, then stalled, betrayed by his usually quick brain. He had no idea what to say. Radio silence had become the new norm recently. Ram looked at him, eyes questioning, but voice silent and body rigid.

“Hi,” said Phu, shifting awkwardly on his feet. His non too subtle shove was ignored, barely moving Rams still figure. Ram just looked at King, impatience clear.

“Hi, you waiting for Duen?” King asked. Delivering Deun safely to Bohn was becoming routine for the pair, their continued presence however was much more of a rarity.

“Well, not really…” Phu answered, glancing at Ram and shrugging his shoulders, at a loss for words. “Ram…” he tried, turning to his friend, only to be halted by a sigh and eye roll. Stepping forwards Ram caught Kings wrist in his usual tight grip and yanked sharply. Stretching his free hand across his body to prevent his tumble, King dropped his chin to hide behind his hair as the others around the table watched.

“Cool Boy, wait a minute,” he burst out, forcing himself up and clambering over the seat, hoping the screen of hair would hide the blush creeping across his face. All this was no doubt more fuel to feed the fire for his friends ongoing roasting. Lost in his musing he was unprepared when Ram set off again around the courtyard, stumbling as he hurried to keep up.

“Not your boyfriend? Yeah right!” he heard, crashing into a suddenly stationary Ram. Looking up into Tee’s eyes King realised he and Mek had finally arrived from their last class. Perfect timing. Rams arm tensed as his clutch tightened on Kings wrist. Ram glanced back at him, suspicion clouding his eyes. Great! Squaring his shoulders, Ram acknowledged the duo and renewed his advance across the courtyard, dragging King along.

The new arrivals made for the bench, Tee grabbing Phu's shoulder as he strolled past and taking him to sit down.

“I said they hold hands,” he reminded Boss. King bit back a groan, wishing that his friends would shut up for once.

“King gives him extra notes to help with the homework too,” Phu chipped in. King winced, when did he become such a common topic for gossip.

“Really?” said Boss and King didn’t need to turn around to know the look on his face. 

Ram only stopped when they were clean across the courtyard, their friends voices thankfully nothing more than a background murmur, some privacy achieved. Glancing across at the source of the hum King spotted a ducking head. Boss no doubt. A moment later it rose again, confirming his suspicions. Boss offered an apologetic grin as a hand hauled him backwards, his shriek echoing and distorting against the surrounding buildings. King dread to think what tales their friends were concocting between them. As he turned back he met Rams gaze.

“Ignore them. They’ve been teasing me all week. About the picture from the waterfall. But don’t worry I told them there’s nothing going on, that I’ve just been helping you out. Isn’t it funny how everyone is convinced we are secretly dating each other?” King tried to reassure Ram as he glanced over his shoulder again to check on his idiot friends. “The way they can twist anything,” he added with a strained chuckle, turning back around.

Discovering dark circles under Rams eyes King tailed off. Strain and doubt fought across Rams face, seemingly increased despite his words. The worry King had squashed all week about how Ram was doing burst into full bloom.

“Hey, how are you?” King blurted out. “Did you go home? Or are you staying with one of the others? Is everything alright?”Stretching forward with a hand King paused as Ram swayed, avoiding the contact. Yet he said nothing, surveying King intently, an indefinable challenge in his gaze. King tilted his head, pondering it’s meaning. If anything Ram seemed dismayed, haunted by a bitter discovery. He tried again.

“Cool Boy?” Nothing.

“Ram?” he tried, “come on, talk to me.”

Ram frowned at him, blinking his eyes rapidly as he glanced to the side, away from King. He looked almost as vulnerable as he had that night in Kings condo and King instinctively approached again. Thrusting a hand in his direction Ram warned him off, taking a step back. King froze, rooted to the spot. Ram had ignored him or walked away before, but he’d never retreated from him. Now he’d done it twice.

“Ram? What is it? Did something happen at home?” King tried, frantically trying to think what could have upset the other man like this. Why wouldn’t he let King close? His only reply came via a shaking head until Ram looked up, stretching to his full height and locked eyes with King.

“Who am I to you?” he asked.

King paused, confused. “Who are you? You’re cool boy. My junior. My guard from dogs and the other best friend of the most talked about couple on campus,” he answered. “What do you mean who are you?”

Ram looked unimpressed and raised an eyebrow. ‘Really’ hung unspoken in the air. King was flustered, what was Ram asking him?Who was Ram to King?Fragments of an old memory rose, his desk mate in high school confessing and crying. Was that what Ram was asking? He liked Ram, he was interesting and King wanted to get to know him, get him to talk. But he hadn’t thought beyond that. King had helped him with his work, he did for all thejuniors if he had time, enjoying sharing what he knew. It had been nice when Ram had insisted on taking him to eat, but it wasn’t a unique gesture. He was Rams senior, he likes to help people. Why did it have to mean anything further? Did even Ram think they were more than that?

King thoughts were drawn back to the camping trip and memories he had shut his mind to. The soft smile on Rams face when he shared his earphones with him, the concern when he checked his stitches, his fingers in Kings hair. It seemed to be asking something, an intimacy that King didn’t recognise. It left him wondering if maybe he wasn’t reading the youngster as well as he believed. And then Ram had hugged him in the tent. The look in his eyes was soft, caring, expectant and it was more than King was comfortable with. Too much! Too close! King needed some space, they both did. So he’d told Ram that they should spend time with their friends the next day. Next morning Ram had ignored him, loudly, with wounded stares and King didn’t know what to do or say. So he kept his distance too, even when he had said goodbye to everyone, as he headed off to see his Grandmother for a few days.

“Are you upset about…the camping trip?” King asked, “I know you were just trying to look after me, but you didn’t need to. I can look after myself.”

Ram shook his head, again, eyes wide as he stared over Kings head and failed give any answers. So King did what he always did and filled the silence with his chatter.

“I just wanted to make sure you didn’t get stuck with me all the time. You don’t owe me anything you know. And my friends could help if I needed them to,” he continued. “I should be looking out for you as your elder. And I will you know, you can come to the house or my condo if you need to get away from things. You’re my friend too after all.”

Ram finally looked back at him then, disbelief painting his face. He looked white, washed out and transfixed in horror. King stood still, locked in place by that expression. He held his breath, riveted as Ram searched his face. His piercing gaze seemed to be searching Kings soul for some answer hidden in the depths. Whether he found it or not King wasn’t sure, but he stepped away, hand clenching on the strap of his bag. King wanted to reach for him, but he couldn’t, the earlier rejection holding him hostage now. After what felt like years Ram pulled in a deep breath and clenched his jaw, his fingernails digging into his palms. He blew out a breath as he gave a humourless chuckle and he closed his eyes.

“I have friends,” Ram finally said, then reached for his bag, pulling it off his back and searching inside. He took out a pencil that King recognised, the lucky pencil that he had given Ram for the exams, and held it out.

“I already said you could keep it, remember?” King said, non plussed.Ram held it out again. When King made no move to take it Ram rolled his eyes and huffed, trapping his bag across his chest with one arm and using his free hand to grab Kings hand and force the pencil into it. King looked at it in bewilderment. “You don’t want it?” he started to ask when he saw something else thrust towards him. “No,” he said. “That was a gift, it’s yours.” The plant was thrust at him again. “No, you said it’s important to you?” King couldn’t fathom what was happening. Why was Ram returning things to him, he blinked as his eyes pricked. Ram ignored him, shoving the flytrap into Kings free hand before reaching into his bag, pulling out Kings notes and pressing them to his chest. With both hands full King could do little except pin them there so they didn’t cascade to the floor.

“Why are you giving all this to me?” he asked again, but the impenetrable silence remained. Ram pushed past King retracing his earlier path. Reaching the bench he tilted his head impatiently at Phu and Deun before wheeling around and leaving. Phu scrambled to his feet, making swift goodbyes to the seniors around the bench and calling for Deun as he scurried after him.

“I better go. I’ll call you later,” Deun said to Bohn as he turned to follow, his smile slipping as he observed his rapidly disappearing friend.Crossing paths with King, Deun studied his arms, full of the things Ram had returned.

“What’s going on King?” he asked.

“I don’t know,” King replied. ”He wouldn’t speak to me.”

Deun frowned before he turned to wave at Bohn. Stepping backwards he tilted his head at King. Bohn dipped his head in acknowledgement and shooed Deun off after his friends.

King emptied his arms of the notes, discarding the pencil on top and examined the flytrap closely. What was happening? Why return his gift? When Ram said he had friends why did it sound like King wasn’t one of them? King crumpled to the bench, unaware four pairs of eyes were trained on him.

“What’s that King? Tee asked. “Is it from Ram?”

“Oh..is it a present from your not boy……” The rest of Boss’ words were lost as Mek stifled him, hissing words in his ear that King couldn’t hear.

“It’s a venus fly trap I gave him…he, he gave it back?” Kings voice wavered, bewilderment creasing his face.

King twisted the plant pot and began caressing the leaves softly, lost in his thoughts. Whispered words and rapid gestures floated over his head.

_“King gave him a plant? One of his babies?”_

_“I told you there was something going on!”_

_“He said they weren’t seeing each other though? Why give him the trap thingy then?”_

_“I don’t know. But why did Ram give it back?”_

The fly trap had grown, even in the two weeks since he last saw it. Ram had clearly been taking proper care of it. A slight smile twitched at the corners of Kings mouth, he could still feel the thrill of hearing Ram thanking him, the warm buzz that his smile had prompted. This was one of the few possessions Ram took when he left home. Why would he return it? Another memory, Ram breaking eye contact after declaring the importance of this gift. King didn’t understand. Why would he give it back?

_“Oh…”_

_“What?”_

_“Haven’t you ever returned things to someone… you know…when you broke up?”_

That penetrated Kings haze. Broke up? What break up?

_“I wouldn’t know.. You’d be the expert on that.”_

_“Hey.”_

A thump and a yell followed, as Bohn lunged for Boss who hid behind Mek, but King didn’t move. Ram was his junior, not his boyfriend? You don’t break up with your friends. It made no sense. He blinked, tears pricking at his eyes. Shaking his head and fighting the choking feeling he dropped the plant pot on the table. His flexed his fingers, curling his hands into fists, hoping the pain of nails in his palm could clear his head, but nothing made sense.

_“If they’re not together how can they break up?”_

_“Are you sure they weren’t seeing each other?”_

_“I told you they were!”_

_“Really? And when has King ever dated anyone? Name one girlfriend? Boyfriend?I’ll wait!”_

_“Oh, I don’t know, but somethings up, look at him.”_

Four pairs of eyes shifted to observe their heedless friend as he slumped against the table lost in his thoughts. Boss pointed to Bohn and signalled to King. Running a hand through his hair Bohn shrugged as his scowl rematerialised. The shrubs rustled in the light breeze, reminding the group that it was high time they made a move. Shuffling on his feet Tee pointed around the group and back at King, eyebrows raised. Mek shook his head, glancing at Bohn and inclining his head towards him. Bohn studied King for a moment before nodding.

_“I’ll take him home.”_

_“Okay, call us if you need.”_

_“Thanks.”_

“King?” Bohn called, “Come on, I’ll give you a ride home. We can grab some take out on the way.” King looked up to find the table empty, just himself and Bohn left.

“Oh! Where’d they go?” he asked.

“To eat,” Bohn replied, “Come on, lets go!”

King let himself by lifted up, placing the pencil and notes in his bag. He knocked Bohns hand away as it reached for the flytrap, carrying it carefully as he departed with Bohn. He was no closer to working out why Ram felt he had to return it to him, but even worse he couldn’t work out why it bothered him so much.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So King why are you so upset?


	3. A little help from a friend

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “So, he likes you?” Bohn prompted instead, trying not to spook King.  
> “I don’t know. It’s not like I asked,” King argued.  
> “Why not? You’re the one who told me I should talk to Deun. How come you didn’t talk to him, you’re always talking.” Bohn’s teeth dug into his bottom lip, too late to stop the words this time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Time for King to get a clue.

An electronic hum floated in the air, circling the cascading vines and intermingling with distant car horns resonating from far below. Damp stains diffused across the soft cotton sleep shirt, hitching a ride on the tacky palm Bohn swept down from the nape of his neck. Cooling fingers of air circulated beneath the wafted blanket, a welcome caress for his heated legs, before billowing folds settled in uneven ridges below his waist. Raising his hands Bohn wrestled crushed pillows further up, hands plumping ineffectively before his head descended onto the imperfect support.

The sound of shuffling slippers merged with the enduring hum, revealing a dopey King. Residual sleep fog lingered in his unseeing gaze, deadening his habitual chatter into uncharacteristic silence, an apparition drifting past racks of verdant observers. Coming to rest against the kitchen island King scrutinised his cargo, weighing hydration against sentiment, mug or carnivorous plant? The mug bowed in defeat to be deposited on the counter. With his newly free hand King refilled his mug and retrieved his prize, retreating back to his sanctuary. 

Propelled on his elbows Bohn sat up, succeeding in attracting Kings attention.

“Sorry, did I wake you?”

“Not really, I was only dozing. Can’t sleep?” Bohn replied.

King shook his head.

“Want to talk?” Bohn asked.

Renewed head shaking, accompanied a bitten lip.

“Neither of us are sleeping. Keep me company?”

Bohn hauled the blanket to the side reinforcing his invitation by rubbing his hand along the cushion beside him.

Rejecting visions of continued insomnia King accepted the invite curling up in the corner, the venus flytrap cradled to his chest. Raising his mug King tilted his head, Bohn indulging him by covering his knees with the blanket. He wriggled his shoulders further into the corner seeking the comfort of an imagined embrace and turned to contemplate the night view.

Pondering the guarded figure Bohns mind flickered with memory of a far younger King. His friend returned to the smaller, more fragile teenager he met in middle school. If permitted he would tread a once wellworn path of feigned ignorance, but Bohn wouldn’t allow that.

“So what was that with Ram?” Bohn asked. King had barely spoken since they had left the courtyard and only to respond to the practical questions of getting food and settled in for the night. His lack of fight to Bohn staying would normally be grounds for some serious teasing, if Kings compliance hadn’t worried Bohn so much.

“I keep telling you, nothing,” King muttered.

“So why is he angry? And why are you this upset?” Bohn persisted.

King puffed and lifted the mug to his lips. The tilt of his hand halted as he murmured, “Did he seem angry to you?”

“Well, I’ve seen his angry face quiet a bit, so yeah, he seemed fairly tightly coiled.” Bohn confirmed.

“Well I guess you’d be the expert on what being upset and saying nothing would look like.” King grumbled.

“Hey, I’m working on it,” Bohn faux sulked, protruding lip, crossed arms and exaggerated sniff catching Kings attention. A chuckle and eye roll were his reward and he smiled, relieved that King seemed to be thawing a bit. Securing the plant pot into the folds between his feet, Kingwrapped both hands around his mug, scrutinising it closely.

“Why would he return it?” he mused quietly.

Bohn examined the small plant. Struck by a thought his eyes scanned the prints on the walls till he found a match. Suspicions confirmed, a slight twitch lifted an asymmetric smile onto his face. Not a random gift it seemed. Bohn couldn’t recall a time when King had given gifts to anyone beyond their tight knit circle.Even then plants were not forthcoming. King protested he couldn’t trust anyone with his babies, deaf to even Boss’s most passionate pleas.

“Why did you give it to him? When?” Bohn quizzed.

“The night of your fight. It was an apology, for telling Kumfah he had a squeaky voice,” King supplied.

“What? You left me bleeding on the floor to give gifts to the guy who beat me up? What kind of best friend are you?” Bohn complained, swaying across to shove Kings shoulder.

“I was doing you a favour” King retorted. “Who took you home and patched you up instead of me,” he demanded. Bohn’s answering scoffbecame a coughing fit as he shook his head in disbelief. Waving off Kings proffered mug he retrieved his own from the coffee table, taking a sip, before something else occurred to him.

“Hold on, you told Kumfah about Ram that long ago?” Bohn asked, still piecing together the patchwork of Rams steady assimilation into Kings world. King evaded his eyes, abandoning his mug on the table and rescuing the flytrap.

“She gave him a lift home from here when he was collecting my first year notes.” He began caressing the leaves again, a habit familiar to Bohn. No matter his mood plants were always Kings comfort and confidants. The condo was his sanctuary, a haven for his floral family. Entry came with strict rules for a very select few; Rams admission and recent residence provided a powerful endorsement of his importance for King.

“So how’d you end up spending time with Ram anyway, he hardly speaks to anyone except Deun and the others?” Bohn asked reinstating the pillow behind him as his gaze wandered to the window.

“Yeah, I know.” King smiled. “I met him before I knew he was Deun’s friend you know?”

In answer to Kings raised eyebrow, Bohn shook his head and maintained his silence.

“He was in the library and I saw that tattoo, his dreamcatcher.”

Another glance and raised eyebrow, but Bohn refused to be drawn. Kings enduring fascination with tattoos would make Rams ink an irresistible lure, inevitably leading to a discovery quest.

“Then he turned out to be Tees code junior, in the volunteer team and Deun’s friend.He still wouldn’t talk to me for ages though, I even started sending him messages, but he ignored it all until I started helping with his homework,” King smiled to himself, gathering his knees in his arms, flytrap resting on top, memories playing in front of his eyes.

Bohn snorted. Kings pursuit of anything unusual combined with the silence, yeah his friend would be a moth to that flame. Bohn watched him, engraving his habitual crease further into his brow. King sounded wistful, an unexpected softness in his gaze that Bohn couldn’t recall seeing before.

“I didn’t realise you spent so much time with him,” he commented, breaking Kings daze.

“Not recently I haven’t. I’ve not seen him since I left to go see my grandmother,” King grumbled. “Well, till tonight.”

Bohn paused, all things considered that was odd. King seemed intrigued, weaving Ram into the daily threads of his life. And Bohn could admit Ram’s loyalty, even when on the receiving end of Rams fierce protection of Deun. Ram had even been staying at the condo with King before they all went away.

“Did something happen on the trip?” he asked, hoping King wouldn’t shut him down again. An unconvincing ‘No’ increased his conviction King had an idea what triggered recent events. Stifling a sigh Bohn fought a sinking feeling. King avoiding a conversation was a red flag. He could be wilfully blind when it suited him, his intellect repurposed into intentional ignorance to guard against unwelcome introspection. Bohn shoved Kings knee, skepticism painting his features.

“Tell me,” he insisted.

King looked back out the window, twisting the plant pot around in his hand. Vibrations from his tapping toes disturbed the blanket as King stretched a protective arm around his knees. Eyelashes fluttered briefly as he closed his eyes and held a breath.

“He…I think… I think he hugged me,” he admitted.

“You think.” Bohn repeated in a monotone. King refused to look at him, head twisting back and forth.

“Okay, I know. I had a fever the first night after falling in the water, I was cold and he hugged me. I guess to keep me warm,” he added, still gazing out the window, radiating uncertainty. Bohn waited, knowing there must be more. King wasn’t willing to share though. Bohn suppressed his irritation, swallowing his reflexive taunt.

“So, he likes you?” Bohn prompted instead, trying not to spook King.

“I don’t know. It’s not like I asked,” King argued.

“Why not? You’re the one who told me I should talk to Deun. How come you didn’t talk to him, you’re always talking.” Bohn’s teeth dug into his bottom lip, too late to stop the words this time.

“Hey!” Accusing eyes met Bohns and he lent back raising his hands.

“Sorry. Sorry… Okay, if you didn’t talk to him what did you do?” he asked, the coil of worry easing a little when King continued.

“I stopped him and then I told him to spend time with his friends instead of me. Since then he kinda stopped talking to me.” King explained, fidgeting fingers tapping against the plant pot. The nervous energy proved to be too much and King lurched to his feet, crossing to the plants on the other side of the room. King busied his hands reorganising the shelf, finding a home for his new arrival, twisting pots, removing dead leaves and testing soil dampness.

Bohn studied his back, searching his memories. King’s relentless focus had sparked deeper feelings than intended in a handful of classmates in the past. Awkward encounters where not unknown. Previous curiosities had faded, space and boundaries had been re established with little except brief regret. This restless energy was new.

“King?” Bohn called, waiting till King met his gaze, to ask. “What did he say tonight?”

Eyes widening as they darted around the room Kings shoulders heaved slightly as ‘I have friends’ rattled round his head. He tried to speak, but the words didn’t come, eyes prickling as he blinked rapidly. Bohn clambered straight over the coffee table, scrapping his ankle in his haste to reach his friend.

“King?” he called, hands suspended, needing to comfort, but hesitant to overstep. Worry for his friend clenched deep in his stomach. King lent back, weight on the bench behind him as a hand dragged through his hair.

“He told me we weren’t friends” King muttered. “After he gave me the stuff,” he added.

Bohn frowned, that seemed odd, the earlier conversation had been longer than necessary for a bald statement like that.

“That’s all?” he prodded.

King shrugged, escaping to the kitchen and grabbing his mist spray. “He asked me who he was to me,” he muttered rapidly.

Lights sparked, connecting a path familiar to Bohn. He’d seen the fall out the first time King had faced that question, positive this reply had been the same. If so, a definitive response was to be expected, after all Ram was determined in his actions and the return of Kings gift confirmed his feelings. He turned to find King had disappeared down the entry way, fussing over his plants.

“He likes you.” Bohn stated, peering round the corner “He wanted to know if you felt the same.”

Kings inner feelings were a mystery, a closely guarded secret, but Bohn was struck by his wounded look earlier, by his barely contained agitation now. He’d seen Kings would be friends and admirers come and go, some with anger, frustration or regret. But not one that Bohn could recall had prompted this distress and befuddled daze.

Rooted to the spot, his hand suspended mid spray, King gasped in a shuddering breath.

“He’s …” he couldn’t finish as he permitted the knowledge that Ram had told him he liked him to take root in his mind. He bit a finger as memories realigned, new meaning bursting within each. Orange juice thrust in his face by a panting Ram. Fleeting eye contact, a shy smile and those precious rare words when presented with his gift. Confessions of feeling truly understood, of the importance of Kings gift. Concern accompanied by attentive care when he was injured. Contentment relaxing normally tense features in response to teasing comments of becoming a couple. Finally that soft, caring, expectant gaze as an arm was clasped over his chest.

“Oh.” He gasped. Certainty of Rams feelings settled in his chest, a flare of warmth. “He likes me,” he repeated.

Bohn waited as King nodded his head in affirmation. Judging by Rams actions he was trying to sever his relationship with King, begging the question what had King said in his denial to prompt that response.

“Oh no!” King whispered, hand dropping as he turned to look at Bohn.

“What happened?” Bohn echoed his earlier questions, sitting on the sofa arm.

“Tee’s teasing, I joked about how funny it was everyone thought we were dating.” King answered, eyes wide under the onslaught of recollection. “I told him he was my junior, my protector from dogs. Oh god, I told him he didn’t owe me anything after staying here so he didn’t need to keep looking after me.”

Bohn stepped forward, hauling King back to the sofa before he fell down. Thoughts chasing across his brain, King failed to even register Bohns presence. Self recrimination twisted tightening coils across his body, constricting his chest until the unspilt tears abandoned the fight and filled his eyes. The desire to seek for Ram and comfort him fought the recognition that he was the source of pain. Hiding his head in his hands he surrendered to the onslaught of conflicting emotion as Bohn wrapped an arm around his shoulders, ignoring the catalogue of inventive swears King rattled off. As the stream of words petered off Bohn squeezed Kings shoulders in comfort, only for him to shrug out from under the arm, escaping to the kitchen.

“I need a drink,” he stated in the face of Bohns unspoken query. Following, Bohn rinsed the mugs and handed both to King for a refill, sliding onto a chair by the table. King handed him his drink and settled into the facing chair, running a hand through his hair again, lost in thought. Bohn watched him, trying to read something, but failing.

“You really didn’t know?” he asked.

King focused on him, shaking his head.

“So why are you so upset?” Bohn asked, confident that he knew, even if King remained wilfully ignorant of his own feelings. When King refused to answer he continued. “King you told me yourself you kept pestering him, your profile picture has his arm in it, you study with him, you go out to eat with him, you give him your old notes, you let him stay here. With his dogs according to Deun!” he added.

King looked mutinous so Bohn searched his phone till he found the picture from camp.

“Ting Ting says you insisted on the photo being taken, with Ram.”

“It looked good on me,” King tried.

Bohn groaned in annoyance, getting up and disappearing into Kings room. He returned triumphantly with the dried crown in his hands.

“You kept it. By your bed. Did you know I kept all the flowers Deun bought me?” he asked, eyes flicking to the floor.

Kings defence died on his lips at the unguarded confession. Bohn had always been so confident and cavalier in his relationships, it was a novelty to see him so bashful. But it spoke of his sincerity too. He hesitated, looking at the crown held in Bohns hands, heartbeat increasing the longer he looked at it. Bohn relinquished his prize into an outstretched hand and watched as vulnerability broke through the walls once more. He fetched the Venus flytrap from the shelf King had left it on and carefully placed it in front of him on the table.

“King, just think about it. Is he really just a junior to you? He’s made it clear how he feels and that he doesn’t want to be friends if that’s all he is to you. Just think about why you’re so upset he returned it before you completely burn this bridge,” Bohn said, giving a squeeze to Kings shoulder. Confident he had done what he could he returned to the sofa and settled down under the blankets again, starring at the ceiling.

He kept his gaze averted as he listened to the scrap of a chair, the shuffle of feet and the closing of the bedroom door. Only then did he glance at the table, smiling when he noticed both the crown and the plant had disappeared along with King. It was up to him now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Time for King to figure out what he wants.
> 
> And yes Bohn and King totally have the type of friendship were all the really important conversations take place at 3 am.


	4. Chance encounter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> King paused, biting back the automatic denial. He took a breath and shrugged.
> 
> “You said it yourself, I’m always interested in the unusual,”
> 
> He looked up to see three pairs of eyes watching him. He steeled himself, these idiots may like to tease, but they were friends for a reason. So he released the thought that had been plaguing him since the early hours of the morning.

Pushing into their usual weekend cafe Bohn and King watched Tee grab the bag of chips Mek was holding just out of Boss’ reach. Fingers chased after the vanishing packet and Boss lost his balance, only to be caught by Mek as he gathered him into his chest. Boss pushed out of the embrace to chase Tee, dodging between the other tables and chairs, in pursuit of the stolen snacks. Bohn and King side stepped the pair, joining Mek and settling into their usual places around the table. Bohn dropped his work down in front of him, but King had nothing other than his small bag as usual.

“Been here long?” King asked, ducking forward to avoid the swing of an arm across his head as Boss tried a short cut over the low table to reach Tee.

“Ten minutes I think,” Mek answered, looping out an arm and gathering Boss in beside him. He grinned at the resulting sulk and produced another packet out of his bag. Boss yelled in delight and gave him a hug, rubbing his head against Meks shoulder in a familiar gesture of affection. Tee opened his prize and took the final place on the end of the bench, crunching loudly as he chewed. King smiled in response to the delight on his face before turning to face the rest of them.

“So what’s the terms?” he asked, his grin widening as Boss looked over to pout at him.

“Hey, we’re your friends,” he complained.

“Yeah, and we have an assignment tax!” King replied. Bohn rolled his eyes as he shook his head, heading for the counter as the argument continued behind him.

“I bought you breakfast already,” Tee reminded King.

“Yes, yes, but that was a bribe to get me out the condo it doesn’t count.” King grinned. “And it’s for electrical… I could always just head home again.”

“Nooooooo!” cried Boss, reaching across to King and shaking him as he pleaded. “I need you to help.”

“Well, I can’t be expected to sit here all afternoon and help you all with no sustenance.” King shot back.

Boss looked crest fallen and then looked at Mek, who just shook his head at him, resulting in Boss huffing out his bottom lip.

“Fine,” he said, “I’ll get you a latte after you help me with the first bit.”

“You haven’t started? We’ve had the assignment for 2 weeks!” Tee exclaimed, rummaging in his bag for his laptop.

“Along with the essay for the Mech. seminar, the presentation and the 2 mid terms on top of the reading and usual homework. It’s not like it’s the only thing we’ve had to do. And helping with your volunteer trip put me behind,” Boss pointed out. Tee just shook his head, they all had the same workload. Mek started to unpack too, paying little attention to the bantering in front of him. They always had a lot to do, Boss always left things to the last minute and they all relied on Kings help more often than they maybe should. King would help, as usual, and get a steady supply of food and drink in return. But the arguments were part of the ritual at this point. He checked the counter, not surprised to see Bohn already choosing from the cake stand, a big piece of chocolate cake that was definitely for King.

“A lattes not gonna cut it if I have to get you through the whole thing!” King told a sulking Boss.

“Extortion!” Boss grumbled. “Bet you don’t tax that junior of yours!” he added in a sulky tone.

Kings smile fell as he looked up at his friend, he had finally stopped obsessing over Ram for a minute and here was Boss bringing him up again.

“For your information he treated me to dinner after I tutored him,” he muttered, mind drawn to that first meal out, Ram dragging him along like so much luggage.

“I’m not sure your dinner dates count as a study tax King,” Tee teased, fingers busy logging on and finding his files for the assignment.

King rolled his eyes and shoved him, but it set him wondering. Why had Ram taken him to eat? Was it just as a thank you? Or was there more to it even then. Tee grinned at Boss and Mek who were watching on.

“Wait, is that why you used to take me to grab food whenever we studied late?” Boss asked, turning to Mek. A small smile broke across his face in realisation. “Yeah, that doesn’t count,” he confirmed, staring at Mek who ducked his head, a blush breaking on his cheeks.

“And you’ve never been to dinner with other juniors, even when they offered,” Tee added. “Can you just admit that he’s different at least?”

King paused, biting back the automatic denial. He took a breath and shrugged.

“You said it yourself, I’m always interested in the unusual,”

He looked up to see three pairs of eyes watching him. He steeled himself, these idiots may like to tease, but they were friends for a reason. So he released the thought that had been plaguing him since the early hours of the morning.

“But most things don’t stay special, what if it’s like pokemon when I was 12 or French cinema when I was 15?” he took a breath, not noticing Bohn arriving behind him. “What if it's like Nin in high school?” he mumbled to himself.

Tee shrugged when Mek and Boss turned to him, _‘who’s Nin?’._ Bohn shook his head as Boss opened his mouth to ask. ‘ _Leave it_ ’ he mouthed, shaking his head, eyes narrowed. _‘Later’_ Tee insisted, before turning back to his work.

“What if it’s like your plants?” Bohn asked, startling King who watched as a tray was lifted over his head and placed in front of him. “Will that do for a start?” Bohn added, passing out drinks to the other three before grabbing his own and sitting down again. King looked at the chocolate cake smothered in cream and licked his lips.

“Oh I think it might,” he answered, picking up his spoon and digging in, enjoying the rich chocolate flavour and sweet cream as he considered Bohns words. Could Ram be one of those things that survived his close scrutiny? Piercing the shell hadn’t been enough to satisfy his curiosity or slake his thirst to know more. Could he be one of the few endlessly interesting pieces that claimed a lasting place in Kings world? Maybe. Moments like these reminded him why Bohn was his best friend.

“So what’s first?” King asked, shaking out of his musing, as he licked the last remnants of that first mouthful off the spoon. Stretching, he turned his head to look at the pages Boss was tilting in his direction and lost himself in the rhythm of helping his friends.

Two hours, a latte, mint tea and strawberry tart later the group focus was broken as Bohns phone rang, Deuns’ face appearing on the screen.

“Damn, is that the time?” Bohn asked, hurriedly picking up the phone and making for the door.

Boss slurped up the last of the milkshake in his tall glass and dropped the glass back to the table with a clatter. Sighing, he lent against Mek who lifted one hand to ruffle through his hair as he continued to type with the other. Boss closed his eyes and settled his head on a shoulder.King returned the grin Tee shot him before reaching for his phone. Scrolling through his notifications showed no messages from a certain taciturn dog lover. Not that he expected any, he just hadn’t realised how much he looked for the texts until they stopped coming. He shook his head ruefully and began clicking through social media, catching up on the school gossip.

The door to the cafe opened again, revealing Bohn shepherding Deun in as he apologised.

“I’ll just grab my stuff. Give me a minute, then we can go,” he was saying. Trailing the pair were Deun’s usual crowd, who waved and greeted the seniors sat round the table. Boss sat up waving them over, while Mek caught Tees eye and gestured to King. He was searching the back of the group, but there was a notable absence, no Ram. Calling Phu over, Tee shuffled down the bench and patted the space next to him.

“Want to join us?” Boss asked, beckoning Ting and Tang over too. “I need a distraction before my brain explodes,” he added.

Bohn was rapidly shoving books, notes and pens into his bag as he chatted with Deun about a menu for the evening. King was looking around the group, listening for a clue to where Ram was. Mek and Tee smiled at their friend, but in the end took pity on him.

“So where’s Ram? Not with you today?” Tee asked. King looked at him in suspicion, glaring as he saw the flick of a tongue being rapidly stuck out.

“Oh he was, but he’s talking to some girl who stopped him on the way in,” Phu answered, lips twitching as he saw Ting nudge Tang and zero in on Kings expression.

“What girl?” asked Boss sitting forward, hands rubbing together, only to receive a pinch from Mek.

“Oh, its just Pin,” Deun answered. Kings head whipped round. What the hell was Pin doing here? And what did she want with Ram?

“Pin’s here? And you left him with her?” he demanded, unaware he was the focus of nearly all around the table. Deun recoiled slightly, surprised that King not only knew Pin, but also didn’t seem to like Rams oldest friend.

“Yes? They go way back, before I met Ram.”

King pushed himself to his feet advancing on Deun. The sight of Ram in his condo, broken by betrayal had almost physically hurt King. The idea of him dealing with her alone sent fresh pangs through his chest.

“Why the hell would you leave him with Pin?” he challenged, but Bohn stepped forward and pushed him back.

“Hey! Cut it out King,” he said folding his arms, donning his most belligerent armour. King considered challenging him, but he didn’t have time for Bohn in protection mode.

“Where are they?” he insisted, peering over Bohns shoulder at Deun.

“By the medical building entrance,” Deun said, frown forming, “I don’t understand what the problem is?” he asked, but King swung round and left, leaving him speaking to empty air.

King hurried along the paths, eye scanning for a familiar figure, breath coming in short gasps as bands of worry tightened his chest. The familiar broad back came into sight, shoulders tensed and fists tight. A girl stood meeting his gaze hand clamped around his wrist to prevent him leaving. King broke into a run in his effort to get to Ram.

“Cool Boy?” he called, skidding to a halt at his side, hand instinctively reaching for his upper arm to stroke it gently. “Everything alright?” he added, searching his face. Rams’ eyes were fixed on the hand on his wrist in disbelief, he was definitely not alright.

“Everything’s fine, but I need to talk to Ram,” interrupted the girl. Pin, King supposed. “Could you give us some space?” she asked. King ignored her, what she wanted wasn’t important.

“Do you want me to go?” he asked, examining Rams face. He hadn’t thought when he’d left the cafe, just known he had to get to Ram. But now he was here all the uncertainty of yesterday came back. Was he making this worse? Ram didn’t look at King, gaze still locked on the accosting hand, but a tiny shake of his head was enough for King to stand his ground.

“That would be a no,” he said, turning to face Pin, squeezing the arm under his palm lightly to try and reassure Ram, offer some comfort.“I’m staying.”

“This has nothing to do with you, it's a family matter,”Pin argued.

“I don’t think sleeping with his Dad makes you family,” King scoffed, eyes flicking over Pin dismissively. The resulting start of surprise gave King a burst of malicious pleasure.

“You promised your Dad you wouldn’t say anything. Who else have you told?”

Ram shifted on his feet slightly, feeling the weight of the accusation, even when he didn’t want to care.

“Just me,” King answered for Ram. He wasn’t certain, but it seemed clear Deun was still clueless and King didn’t think Ram was likely to confide in any of the others.

“I told you to go.” Ram stated, raising his gaze to glower at Pin.

“Go home, at least to visit. Your Mums starting to worry. Ruj misses you too,” she cajoled, falsely believing she still had that right. King felt the muscle beneath his palm tense and he rubbed a thumb against it gently. So Ram hadn’t moved back home, must be staying with one of the others then.

“No.”

“Ram…” Pin started and King ground his teeth at her audacity.

“He said no, and I don’t think you get to act as if your care for Rams family,” he interrupted, pushing her hand off Rams wrist and stepping in front to shield him from whatever Pin tried next.

“ You should go,” he added. Pin looked past him, admitting a temporary defeat as she saw others approaching and turned to leave.

“I’ll be in touch,” she said over her shoulder.

King turned to see Deun and Bohn too, bags in hand and eyes flicking between King, Ram and the girl walking away. Deun studied Ram quizzically, reading the tension in his stance. Whatever King knew it was clear he’d been right about Ram not wanting to see Pin.

“Whats going on?” he started, but Ram just shook his head.

“King?” he tried, but was denied again. King wasn’t going to break that trust.

“You don’t want to talk about it. Okay, do you need anything from me?” Deun checked. Experience taught him no amount of persistence, cajoling or downright interference would persuade Ram to open up. Not unless he wanted to. All Deun could do was offer.

“No, I’ll find Tang. Go! Your date.” Ram instructed shooing Deun away in Bohns direction.

“You’re sure?” Deun asked, only for Bohn to throw an arm around his shoulders and pull him into his side.

“We need to get going to shop, I’m hungry,” he said. Deun examined Rams face closely, before turning to Bohn who was nodding his head eagerly, keen to get away before their plans for the evening could be derailed, his afternoon date already sacrificed to King and study.

“You can call me if you want to,” Deun said, even though he knew Ram wouldn’t. Bohn caught his hand and led him away, leaving King alone with Ram.

“Thanks.”

The quiet word took King by surprise, fully expecting to be ignored.

“Any time, I meant what I said,” he replied, wincing as he inadvertently reminded them both of their last conversation. They stood there, silence spilling over them. King was at a loss for words, an increasingly frequent occurrence over recent days. He needed to say something, the problem was he hadn’t quite figured out what. He lifted a hand to his hair, trying to brush it out of his way and hoping it would help him clear his head as well as his vision.

“Ram, I’m sorry,” he tried. “I know I hurt you yesterday. I didn’t mean to, but I did. So I’m sorry.” It felt inadequate, the words not enough, but it was a start.

Ram starred at him in horror, King had figured it out. He scoffed, of course he had, King was smart and Ram hadn’t exactly been subtle. But it wasn’t Kings fault he didn’t see him as more than a friend, even if that hurt.

“You didn’t know,” he said, fixing his gaze on the flower bed beside him, unable to look at the man next to him.

“No, I didn’t. But I do now,” King confirmed, looking at the immobile back. “Cool boy, why didn’t you say something?”

“I did.”

King nodded his head, conceding that in his own way Ram had, in his gifts, his looks, his caresses and even his words. Just King hadn’t recognised it at the time.

“There are some things that need to be said, clearly,” he admonished quietly, moving to brush shoulders gently with Ram.

“Why?” A fist clenched on a bag strap, trying to strangle the seed of hope that was trying to germinate. King was just being kind, he was endlessly kind with everyone.

“Honesty? Clarity? So we know where we stand?” King crouched and reached to caress the snapdragons growing in the bed in front of him, a pink and white riot of colour. Ram watched the familiar motions longing to reach out and caress King in an echo of his own touch on soft petals.

“Wouldn’t change anything,” he whispered. King might regret hurting him, but Ram still couldn’t accept simply being friends and add King to his support network, he meant too much. He couldn’t just pack his feelings back up and put them in a box.

“It might…” King admitted.

Ram twitched in surprise, shoots of hope escaping the chokehold of his fisted hands.

“I…I miss seeing you. I miss your texts. I worry about you. I don’t know what that means, but I miss you. I hate when people hurt you. I was so angry when Deun said Pin was here. I hate that I hurt you, so much. You’re special, but I don’t know if … if it's more.” King paused, drawing in a big breath and breaking off a flower. He held it between his fingers, watching the mouth snap as he fought for the strength to voice the words he found on the tip of his tongue. He closed his eyes and took the leap. “I think it might be, can you give me some time to figure it out?”

Ram looked at him, heart racing. Sticking to his guns and breaking any contact with King would shield his shattered heart, allowing breached walls to mend. Nevertheless, his traitorous mind replayed those moments when King had relentlessly refused to be held at bay, scaling his protective barriers endlessly. Like when they found their gazes caught on each other, or were drawn slowly into each others space. Or those moments when King had reached for him, often in comfort and once in a seemingly new exploration, the traces of phantom fingers ghosting over his neck.

“Can you?” King prompted, hoisting himself to his feet and forcing himself to look for a response.

Ram stepped forward, trusting actions often proved more reliable than treacherous words. And nothing ventured, nothing gained. Reaching for his usual hold on Kings wrist he squeezed slightly.

“Okay.”

King felt a grin breaking out on his face, for the first time basking in the warmth of that open gaze which had haunted his dreams, instead of fleeing from it.

“Oh, there you are Ram. Ready to go?” a voice asked, surprising the pair who found themselves the focus of Tee and Tang. Ram glanced between them and King before reaching for his phone, typing rapidly.

**I need to go - I’m staying with Tang.**

**Talk more later.**

Kings smile widened as he read the messages, nodding.

“Okay Cool Boy. I’ll see you later.”

Ram dropped the phone in his back pocket and dipped his head to Tang, signalling his agreement. The two started along the path under the nearest building and Tee watched King unconsciously reach out after them, raising an eyebrow as he considered this development. He reached for his phone, firing off a quick message in the most recent addition to his group chats, wondering if their mutual scheming might be redundant after all. His friend might not be as hopeless as he’d feared.

“Need a lift?” he asked, “I’m heading home tonight, so I’m passing the condo,” he added.

“Mmm?” King murmured, collecting himself and considering Tees offer. ”Sounds good,” he agreed, falling into step with Tee as they made for the car park.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A little later than planned as this chapter was determined to make life difficult. But 3 false starts and 1 random draft to figure out something that was bugging me and here we are.
> 
> I know I've said it already, but I love the friend groups in this series.
> 
> Also while King has been oblivious I hold that Ram has always been able to read Kings true feelings through his actions, leading to his conviction that they were already on the same page.


	5. What do you want King?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tee had winked when he saw King tapping on his phone on Monday wondering loudly who it might be, then Boss had nearly flattened him trying to try read over his shoulder at lunch on Tuesday. 
> 
> And that had been it, although he should have realised they would meddle sooner or later.

King spent Sunday puttering about, feeding, misting, pruning and caring for his indoor garden, making amends for his recent distraction. When everything including the terrarium maintenance was complete King brewed himself some tea and settled on his sofa. Squashing any lingering hesitance, he sent occasional texts to Ram. To his relief sharing pictures and updates of the floral kind prompted sporadic responses, the lines of communication had reopened.

Kings fingers unravelled the blanket laying across the sofa arm, eyes staring into space. Deceiving himself that he didn’t care about Ram was no longer a viable option, the blinkers well and truly torn from his eyes. He had grown fond of Ram, seeing him upset unsettled him and provoked his protective instincts. Any remaining doubts evaporated in angry fire upon meeting Pin, protecting Ram an innate response. Ram had stealthily supplanted his friends, carving out a unique place as he steadily infiltrated Kings private world. Bohns point was avalid one, his invitation was for Ram stay was highly unusual. Even Bohn himself was rarely invited, finding himself kicked out unceremoniously on more than one occasion.

Yet King doubted himself, fear binding his desire to let go and be guided by his feelings. He’d let himself get close just once, way back in high school, and that had been a mess.

Nin had been an enigma, not quiet, but always separate. Her thoughts were infused with philosophies and ideologies that were new to King, she had fascinated him. Perplexed by Bohns obsession with flitting from one admirer to another, King found himself persuaded into believing they could be more than friends. So he’d agreed when she suggested they date, thinking maybe this simple feeling of interest in ideas was all there was to love and attraction. It wouldn’t be the first time that something that consumed his peers proved distinctly underwhelming for King. Unsurprisingly, it all went horribly wrong. His simple interactions were suddenly not enough, expectations and demands he didn’t anticipate were made. His intriguing companion morphed into an irritating obligation, killing his fascination and ending any wish to remain friends. Recriminations had inevitably followed and with lessons learnt King maintained a clear distance with others.

Over the intervening years Bohn arranged sporadic ‘blind dates’, eventually accepting that maybe King didn’t need or want that kind of interaction. Until now. So why would Bohn try to force this particular issue?

King picked up his phone, sending Bohn a quick text. The ring of his phone came almost immediately.

“What’s up?” Bohn asked, not bothering with any greeting.

“How was your date?” King hedged, suddenly reluctant to ask.

“Good, but quit stalling. What did you want?” Bohn insisted.

King hesitated, thinking about what he really wanted to ask.

“How do I know?”

“How do you know what King? I need a bit more,” Bohn griped.

“How do I know if I really like him?” King asked, swallowing the embarrassment that had his cheeks flaming red. He was grateful Bohn was on the end of the phone, not convinced he would have asked face to face.

“You want me to tell you if you like him?” Disbelief dripped from Bohns tone.

“No. I just.” King knocked his fist on his knee as he took a breath.“Bohn you know what happened with Nin. I don’t want to make the same mistake.”

“King.” Bohn sighed, how could his friend be so dense sometimes, “If you’re asking that I think you’re already half way to your answer.”

“Huh?”

“Did you worry about hurting Nin? When you realised she wanted more from you?”

“Not really”

“Did you get upset when she threw your jumper back at you?”

“No, it was one of my favourites I don’t know why she wanted it in the first place.”

“Did you miss her when she started ignoring you?”

“No it was a relief.”

There was a pregnant pause, followed by a mutter of frustration.

“King?!” Bohn demanded. King jumped at the sharp tone and replayed Bohns questions, finally connecting them to Ram. He was paralysed by his determination not to hurt him, lost when his gifts were returned, forlorn when left alone at his own request.

“Oh! I see,” he said.

“About time,” Bohn replied with a snort.

King ignored his urge to take offence, another thought chasing it out of his mind.

“Um.”

“What.” Bohn sounded wary, increasing Kings hesitance.

“Er.”

“Spit it out King,” he demanded.

“But how do I know if I like him? Like that.” King closed his eyes, hunching in on himself and feeling like he was back in high school listening to Bohn regaling a wrapt audience with tales of romantic adventures.

“Oh for… King! You read all the romantic poets when we were thirteen, you got hooked on bloody dramas when we were sixteen, you’ve listened to me and Boss and Tee ramble on and on.“ Bohn exhaled loudly. “Come on King. I know you’re not completely lacking in experience despite your best efforts. You do not need me to tell you if you’re attracted to him. You need to go spend some time with your boy and figure that out for yourself!” he insisted.

“Mm, yeah. Okay.“ King hung his head, lifting a hand to run through his hair. He knew Bohn was right, he wished someone else could take control, freeing him from the consequences, but ultimately it was down to him.

“Thanks Bohn,” he added, voice petering out as he considered his next move.

“No problem.”

Wednesday gave King the first inkling that his friends might be up to something. All the boys had been remarkably silent on the topic of Ram since the weekend, not that it mattered, the boy in question remained physically absent, even though the texts continued. Tee had winked when he saw King tapping on his phone on Monday wondering loudly who it might be, then Boss had nearly flattened him trying to try read over his shoulder at lunch on Tuesday. And that had been it, although he should have realised they would meddle sooner or later.

It started innocently enough as Wednesday lunchtime found them congregated around their bench by the gear statue labelling bags for volunteers, containing unexpected gifts of gratitude from tree planting foundation. When they were done there was a quick spat about who was going to which faculty. Bohn demanded Medical, unsurprisingly, and Mek vetoed Boss’ request for Arts, suggesting they took Management and Law as the two departments shared a building. Tee ‘sacrificed’ himself to go to Arts leaving King with the job of staying were he was and handing out the gifts to all the engineering volunteers.

“Don’t worry, I’ve organised help for you,” Tee reassured him as he tried to argue, picking up his cargo and shooing the others off as he looked behind King. “In fact here they come now.”

King turned, dawning suspicion confirmed when he saw Phu and Ram arriving.

“Great timing, Phu can you grab those and help me? Ram you can stay with King and hand out bags here,” Tee suggested, reinforcing his demands with a beckoning wave at Phu, who’s confusion suddenly cleared as he hurried over.

“Sure thing Tee,” he replied, trotting after the older boy.

King wheeled round to face Ram, who simply waited.

“Take a seat Cool boy, we’re gonna be here a while,” King invited, patting the bench next to him. Ram took the suggested seat while avoiding looking at King, prompting a frown. That wasn’t what he wanted. He nudged Ram with his shoulder gently.

“Hey, You alright?” he asked. Ram rotated towards him slightly and nodded.

“Good, you still at Tangs?” he added, turning sideways and folding his knee onto the bench between them, playing with the cuff of his trousers. No reply came so he glanced up to find Ram watching him. “Hmm,” he prompted. Ram shook his head.

“Deun’s” he supplied.King wanted to ask more, but held back, the barrier of their currently undefined relationship stopping him. He resumed picking at the threads coming lose from the hem.

“Your dogs?” he asked, unusually searching for words.

“I took them home, Ruj missed them,” Ram said softly.

“What about you, don’t you miss them?” King asked looking up again

Ram nodded, then shrugged.

“Will you go home to see them?” King wondered aloud.

Another shrug was his answer. King opened his mouth, until his brain caught up and he discarded his offer to go with Ram, he didn’t want to hurt Ram more by overstepping or creating expectations when he may disappoint him later. Damn, he needed to figure this out.

Pulling himself out of his thoughts he realised he was still looking at Ram, who was studying him, blank look securely in place. King blinked, shaking his head, before returning to his persistent unpicking of threads. A hand closed around his wrist, pulling it off the hem and resting it on his knee. He looked up to see Rams expression had softened slightly, even with his raised brows that questioned Kings nervousness. Rams thumb brushed softly over Kings wrist and his breath stopped as he lost himself in the sensation, eyes fluttering shut briefly, prompting a twitch of something to momentarily disturb the placid facade.

“Okay I’ll stop,” King agreed, reluctantly pulling his arm away.

He scanned the courtyard, wondering were everyone was, the lunch break well underway. He grabbed his phone to checked the faculty message board, only to find Tee had postponed the pick up time until the later part of the break. He muttered under his breath, designing any number of satisfying punishments as he posted a new message recommending speedy collection, adding a picture of bags all over the table for good measure. He showed Ram his phone and rolled his eyes.

“We’re gonna be stuck here all lunch, did you eat yet?” he asked, digging in his bag as he saw Rams head shake and digging out some cash.

“Do you want to wait here or go grab us something to eat?” he asked. Ram immediately straightened up and King smiled, unsurprised that Ram refused sole responsibility for handing out the bags to all and sundry from the faculty. King caught his hand and pressed the folded notes into his palm.

“On me, least I can do when it’s Tees fault you got stuck here.”

Ram gave him a considering look, before accepting the money and striding away, only for King to realise he hadn’t told Ram what he wanted. He watched him stride off, passing a couple of first year girls he recognised from the trip, the first trickle to pick up their bags.

Over the next hour a steady stream of students meant Ram and King had to grab their food while still handing out goodies. King was pleasantly surprised that Ram picked out a couple of his favourites for his lunch, even adding a couple of snacks ‘for later’,a reminder how well Ram tried to take care of him. They puttered on, King checking who each volunteer was and what they needed, Ram sorting through bags and handing them over as needed.

As the stream began to die down King checked his phone, noting that his friends continued absence, there was still no sign of them returning.

“When’s your next class?” he asked.

“One thirty,” Ram answered, checking his phone and stilling when he realised he only had five minutes till it started.

“You better go then,” King said, “I’ll finish up,”

Ram looked at him and King felt a burst of pleasure, receiving the message clearly for the first time since the trip.

“It’s fine, I don’t start till two. I’ll text Tee, it’s his stuff after all.” He was fairly certain that his friends wouldn’t be too far off. Anyway most of the bags were gone, he could manage taking the remainder to class if Tee didn’t show.

“Go on,” he said, waving Ram off as he paused. “I’ll see you later,” he finished, watching Ram finally turn and go, before he reached for his phone, composing a pointed text to Tee about exactly were his stuff would end up if he didn’t land back soon.

On Friday evening King suspicions his friends may be trying to play matchmaker solidified as he was dragged into Bohns car. In repayment for the first years help organising the tree planting trip, Bohn had volunteered them all to help Deun, Ting and Tang with the preparations for the Medical fundraiser. Predictably, Ram was already there supporting his best friends, prompting a hushed debate behind King on arrival.

Despite the shenanigans he was pleased to see Ram, less so with the shove Bohn gave him in that general direction. Regaining his balances he found Ting planted in front of him, hands on her hips before she energetically herded him away towards Tang, muttering about refusing to allow ulterior movies to derail her project. Tang attempted to intervene, suggesting King help Ram with the prop building, but was cut off. Deuns subsequent plea to work with Bohn, ignited a tirade from Ting on the imperative of reducing distractions to maximise productivity, her gaze fierce enough to quell even Bohns protests.

Remaining assigned to Tang, King found himself deep in logistics, sourcing materials, costing supplies and scheduling future preparations. Ting proved to be slave driver, running the evening with military precision, including staggering breaks preventing King from exchanging even a word with Ram. Any attempt at switching partners or escaping for a few minutes was thwarted by a vigilant Ting, driving them on until the late hour ended any thoughts of hanging out afterwards, as tomorrows early lectures called them home. King was driven home again by a sulking Bohn, silently sharing his irritation.

By Monday a frustrated and increasingly determined King caved into the impulse to check the first years schedule with Tee, ignoring the grin and teasing his request ignited. Finishing his lunch King relocated to perch atop the bench where Ram fed the stray dog, loitering in the hope Ram would turn up as usual. Studiosly ignoring Tee, who had followed him, he searched for possible additions to his indoor jungle, a new plant textbook in his lap. A perplexed Tee watched from the corner, wondering why King wasn’t by the main building but sat in the middle of the bench. He sent a quick message to Phu asking where the juniors were, sending a picture of King sat on the bench when Phu wondered why. Tee grinned at the response.

**Well that worked, I showed it to Ram**

**and he left straight away.** ****

Ignoring the odd looks he got, Tee stepped into the the vegetation on the side of the path, peering back towards the main engineering buildings and ducking down as Ram approached with his phone at the ready. Paying no attention to King on the bench Ram crouched down, rummaging through his bag and setting out the food he carried. King flinched as a dog barked, and Tee realised that the visitor was expected, making clear the reasoning behind Kings choice of seat. Ram glanced up to check on him, but then concentrated on petting the dog until King caught his attention again, offering a bottle and bowl. As Ram collected them Tee hurriedly snapped a picture to share in the group chat, inching further into the large bush. If either of them said anything Tee didn’t catch it before Ram set dow the bowl, filling it with water. Crouching close by as the stray devoured the meal Ram took the opportunity to fuss over it properly, giving it a good scratch behind it’s ears and down its flanks. Food and water finished, the dog wandered off again. Ram stood up holding the water bottle out for King to take as he clambered off the table. Tee tried to edge round the bush to eavesdrop.

“Thanks,” King said, “You finished for today?”

A quick nod was the only answer he got.

“Lucky you I’m stuck here, I’ve got a seminar at 4. You heading off?”

“Waiting till the others finish. My lift.” Ram explained.

“So you have time to kill too?” King asked, head tilting along with his words as his expression morphed, eyes lighting up with a teasing sparkle glinting in their depths.Ram nodded and started to walk on, half turned to King in invitation. King glanced in Tees direction, fixing him with a pointed stare which was ignored, then moved alongside Ram. Tee shuffled forward, searching for new cover, straining to hear their conversation.

“Where we heading?” King asked quietly as he realised they were headed out of campus, checking on Tees less than subtle tail.

“The park,” Ram murmured. King smiled as he thought of the shaded grass of the park, a welcome relief from the heat of the sun beating down. Sitting on the grass, relaxing while whiling away the hours till his seminar was a great plan.

“We have a shadow,” King shared, although one look at Rams face told him it hadn’t been necessary. Instead a familiar grip on his wrist urged him to follow Ram, dodging behind a pillar to watch Tee jog past. Detouring through a quiet courtyard Ram led them towards a side entrance, before making for the park. He didn’t let go until they were sat under a familiar tree, people watching, backs resting against the thick trunk.

King lent back and closed his eyes, listening to the quiet sounds of nature and the hum of the city beyond, enveloped in the entwining aromas of the flowers and trees. He drew in a series of deep breaths feeling the stress of the day fade away. A sidelong glance revealed Ram doing the same. King twisted his head, eyes tracing the features he knew well, but hadn’t let himself really examine before. Ram looked tired, faint circles darkening his eyes, but in this moment his body looked relaxed, reminding King of the last time they sat here, recovering from watching the twins.

Kings lips lifted in a grin as he recalled the peace of that afternoon, twisting away from the tree till he was able to see Ram clearly. He compared the image caught in his memory with the real thing, eyes sweeping across the forehead devoid of the recent creases. He continued down over the resting brows and closed eyelids, the thick lashes splayed against pale cheeks. King found his gaze straying to the dreamcatcher on his neck, fingers twitching as he felt the urge to touch it rise again. He shook his head, breath hitching as he felt the phantom touch on his fingertips. Planting his hands in the grass to brace against the desire to lean forward he forced his eyes away from the tattoo. He followed the straight line of Rams prominent nose arriving at full pink lips, watching them twitch into a smile before he caught himself and glanced up to find Ram watching him. King squashed the twinge of embarrassment at being caught and ignored the resulting amused glance, surprised to feel his heart racing. Ram closed his eyes, settling more firmly against the tree, while King stretched and laid down to stare at the canopy above.

Tracing the path of the birds flitting from branch to branch, he mused on the boy next to him, one hand absently rubbing at his chest to sooth the rapid heart beat. It wasn’t the first time he had got lost looking at Ram, his memory providing countless moments when the world had seemed to fade, leaving King trapped in that steady gaze. He recalled his confusion the first time, the night he tutored the first years, his flight spurred by his racing heart. He replayed the subsequent moments, hearing the ghost of Rams words and finally acknowledging how often his own had provoked them. Marvelling at his ability to deceive himself King smiled as he drew in deep breaths, hitching his shoulders up to his neck before letting them fall back. The heat of the day was matched by the warmth growing inside him as he finally permitted himself to recognise his feelings. Eyelids falling shut he bask in the warm glow, relaxing into the silent companionship of the boy beside him.

King was woken by his phone, sitting up to find Ram watching him still. A quick glance revealed it was Mek and Kings eyes widened.

“Yeah, sorry. I’ll be there in a bit,” King explained before hanging back up again.

“Sorry Cool Boy, I’ve got to go - seminar. We’re presenting so I can’t really skip,” he explained, even as he made no move to go.

Ram just watched, slight head incline to show he got it. King searched his face, thankful he could find no signs of annoyance, but still reluctant to go.

“This was nice,” he said, cringing at the amusement his clumsy words provoked, “Yeah I know, but it was. I’ve missed spending time with you.” King added, freezing when he heard it, Rams considering gaze prompting warmth to fill Kings cheeks.

“I really need to go,” he said, flustered as he got up and brushed himself down, half turning before stopping to look at Ram again. “We should arrange something together soon,” he rushed out words tumbling over each other. King scraped his teeth over his lips, ignoring the blush that by now was an inferno, determined to get this out.“I’ll figure something out and let you know, okay?” He flicked his eyes up to look at Ram, catching his surprise before he wiped his expression clean and nodded, face impassive once more. King started as a text chimed on his phone, breaking his trance.

“Okay, bye,” he rushed out as he turned to go, scurrying across the grass back to campus and missing the affectionate expression on Rams face as he watched him go.

On Thursday Bohn roped the whole gang into delivering flowers for Deun throughout the day. First was delighted to be a part of the latest floral declarations as his flower shop became the base of operations. A lively early morning meeting crushed into the back room to hammer out exactly who was doing which delivery descended into a debate over whether it was actually one month and not two that the pair had been dating. The crux of the matter being if the short lived camp break up counted - until Ting declared that it was two months, according to Deun, causing a smug grin to fill Bohns face.

Ting and Tang took the first flowers to the morning lectures as they all left, causing a stir on social media. Deun accepted them with a roll of his eyes, shoving them out of sight onto his knee before peaking, cheeks turning red. Speculation ran riot online as to who was hitting on the first year now, until lunch, when Boss made his entry to the medical canteen with a loud shout as he searched for his target, helped to locate Deun by a waving Ting. Dragging a grinning Mek with him he climbed onto the nearest table and began to serenade a hunched Deun at the top of his voice, to the accompaniment of Meks guitar. Clambering back down, Boss took to his knees in supplication as he proffered the rose he had brought “to proclaim the love of my fair friend.” Deun muttered a little, but couldn’t quite keep the smile from breaking through momentarily. Mek handed over his rose, then snapped a quick picture for Bohn, although he needn’t have, Instagram flooding with stories that other students shared.

With the sender of the gifts confirmed comments now began speculating on the reason, a disturbing number assuming Bohn had blotted his copy book again, much to his disgust. King tried to placate him and when that failed he suggested that they go peak at Deuns reaction to his latest delivery. Tee and Phu greeted Deun outside his afternoon lab, another rose from Tee and a box of rose shaped desserts from one of Deuns favorite confectionary shops from Phu. Deuns smile stretched wider now in the relative isolation, with few other students about. King watched Bohns answering grin, laughing when Bohn noticed, shooing him away with a reminder to do his bit.

King glanced at his watch and hurried over to the flower shop, hoping First had managed to fill his last minute request. He pushed through the door, relieved to find it empty, walking to the counter and brushing his fingers over the roses wrapped tightly a bouquet, two loose ones resting beside it.

“Ah King, wait a minute,” First said disappearing back through the door he had just peered through. He reappeared with a ribbon bound pot, spilling over with white daisies. “Here you go, I managed to get them sent over from the market for you.” King took the offered flowers, smiling at them as he thanked him, before he asked him to drop them below the counter. First did as requested, frown clearing in understanding when the bell on the front door rang and King whipped round to greet Ram.

“Hey Cool Boy, right on time,” he rambled. “Can you take the bouquet for Bohn and I’ll meet you by the lab in 20 minutes?” he asked. “I need to drop by the library.” Ram looked a little skeptical, but nodded and left. King watched him mix into the students returning to campus before turning to First, taking the two loose roses and his daisies.

“Ah, for him?” First asked. King nodded, hurrying out with Firsts good luck ringing in his ears.

Reaching the medical building, daisies safely secreted, King saw Ram already waiting, a raised eyebrow admonishing his delay. King handed over the second rose as Ram held outa bag for King to take. He peered in to see a wrapped box, a shrug letting him know Ram was no wiser than he was. The door opened and the stream of students nudged each other and gathered around rather than hurrying away when they spotted the pair waiting. Deun was one of the last to leave, cutting off mid conversation with Tang and huffing out a sigh when he spotted them. They handed over their flowers and gifts, before King extended Bohns invitation for Deun to meet him by the gear statue. Deun made some crack about Bohns choice of location, but hurried off all the same, pulling a train of students with him.

King waited until they made it to engineering, before he grabbed Rams wrist and hauled him sideways into one to the quieter courtyards. Ram said nothing, waiting for King to share. King retrieved the daisies from where he had stashed them in a flower bed, his back to Ram as he gathered his thoughts.

“Here, this is for you,” King explained turned and holding out the pot of daisies. Ram just watched him, face impassive. King hugged the pot to himself, looking at it.

“I wanted to invite you to the condo, tomorrow.” He added glancing up at Ram and trying to get a read on him. A slight quirk of the brow was all he got.

“Do you know what daisies stand for” he added, determined to get this out, he wanted no more misunderstandings.

Ram didn’t move, if anything stilling even more.

“They represent new beginnings. I got them for you.” King noticed Ram tense and rushed on.

“A new beginning for us, together. I’m done figuring this out.”

King took a big breath, squared his shoulders and offered the daisies once again. “You asked me before who you where to me. If I could begin again I would go back then and tell you you’re more than a friend to me.” He risked a look at Rams eyes only to get trapped in their examination as his heart beat picked up.

“I’m sorry it took me so long Cool Boy, but please, can we go back and start from there again?” he asked.

Reaching out to caress a daisy Rams impassive mask cracked with a return of a softer expression King hadn’t realised he longed to see again.

“I’d like that,” he said, fingers sliding over Kings as they reached for the daisies, tugging slightly as King held on prolonging the contact.

Kings grin split his face, giddy energy fizzing out lifting him onto his toes so he bounced up and down.

“Okay, so tomorrow at 6?” he asked.

“Yeah, I’ll be there,” Ram replied.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not sure when exactly the 2 month anniversary for Bohn and Deun would fall, but if you count from the first day of Rose delivery this just about works.


	6. Moving forward

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> King jiggled in place, energy building as he considered what to do now. When Ram had been staying with him they would do their homework, read, play games or watch something. Even sitting in silence too, but this was different. After all this was a date night and not just another evening at home for two friends. King ran a hand through his hair, wondering what to suggest.   
> “Movie?” That was a date activity wasn’t it?

King scurried around the living room, picking up the books on the coffee table and relocating the pile to his desk, before shuffling over to his plant stand and trying to tidy the leaves, if that was even possible. Catching himself he dragged in some air and planted himself in the middle of the room as closed his eyes and reminded himself this was just Ram. Ram who knew that the books made their home on the coffee table, stacked in ever evolving hills and valleys, collecting a coating of pens and pencils as they got lost in the endless folds. Ram who had listened endlessly to Kings monologues on the best conditions for plant growth or the indisputable evidence that plants knew when you cared, responding to the prevalent emotional resonance of a space as much as their physical nutrition. This was just Ram was a thought useless against the thrum of anticipation in his veins. This was different. Shaking the agitation from his hands he checked on the food waiting in the kitchen, place settings ready on the table, dipping his finger through a dip and tasting it with a grin.

Loud knocks reverberated down the entryway, startling him. Checking his reflection, King fond his fingers running through his hair, strands sticking out at odd angles. Trying to pull it back into place King made his way to the door. Swinging it open he peered around to catch sight of his guest. One hand buried in a pocket, Ram swayed to and fro, the bag held in his other hand swinging in counterpoint.

“You brought me something? What is it?” King grabbed the bag, hair curtaining his face as he pushed his head into the opening to peer inside.

“Yeah,” Ram nodded, lips pursing slightly at the sight of King trying to fit his head inside the bag as opposed to actually removing the contents.

“King?” he called, motioning to the hallway with an exaggerated shrug.

Flushing as he barked out a chuckle King pivoted on a heel, propping the door open with his hip.

“Sorry, sorry. Come in,” he invited.

Ram slipped his shoes onto the stand and padded into the living room scrutinising the clear coffee table, amusement twisting his lips. Dropping the bag on the top King reached in, liberating the contents for his appraisal.

“Who are you then?” he interrogated the small plant he found. “You seem like a new addition. I don’t think you have any siblings here.”

“I hope not.” Ram said, soothed by the familiarity of King communicating with his floral roommates through his physical touch. “A desert rose,” he expanded.

“Thank you, I love it,” King said, cuddling the pot close and heading for the counter to shroud his charge in fine mist. Ram admired the table, already set with dishes and even a small candle tucked by the wall, still unlit. King followed his gaze and flushed when he saw what had caught his attention.

“Oh… I thought…”King tried, but ran out of words. “You hungry?”

“You cooked?” Ram teased, avoiding flustering King further.

“I didn’t and I know you’re thankful,” King retorted, grasping thankfully at the opportunity to return to more familiar conversation. “Well sit down Cool Boy.”

“Help yourself,” he urged, slipping into his own seat facing Ram before scooping rice onto his plate and reaching for some fried chicken. Tearing the meat apart he bared his teeth at Ram who ignored his provocation, steadily helping himself to food and then reaching across to grab some fried chicken from Kings plate. Chopsticks crashing down on the plate too late to stop the theft, King pulled a face at Ram.

“Hey, get your own,” he complained.

“Snatched food tastes best don’t you know,” Ram told him, making a point of exaggerating his delight in savouring the stolen morsels, tongue peeking out to lick round his lips as he finished. King laughed, rueing the day he had told Ram that, squaring his shoulders and brandishing his chopsticks ready for battle. Ram took up his guard and their civilised meal devolved into a fierce skirmish for food, raiding parties harried home by vicious sentries. As the last delicacies were won and consumed the pair submitted to the building laughter, collapsing against the table to catch their breath. Ram lifted a hand, thumb poised to wipe some sauce from Kings cheek, hesitating to ensure a permission that was swiftly given. King held his breath, muscles tensing as he desperately tried not to disturb the gentle brush against the corner of his lips. His eyelids fluttered and King imagined gently pressing his lips to the pad of Rams thumb. Rams motion stuttered as he caught the look in Kings downturned eyes, before lifting his thumb away and leaning back as he wiped it clean. King caught his breath, the world returning to normal speed.

“All gone?” he asked aiming for a little normality in the face of that first glimpse of burgeoning possibilities.

“So what do you want to do now?” King asked clearing the table of dishes, leftovers collected and covered for the fridge, rubbish away and dishes in the sink. Ram joined him, running the water and claiming wash duties.

“Thanks,” King said, hip checking Ram on his way past to clear the remaining bits and pieces off the table then searching a drawer for a clean tea towel. A peaceful quiet settled over the pair as they relived a familiar routine, putting everything to rights before settling for the evening. King jiggled in place, energy building as he considered what to do now. When Ram had been staying with him they would do their homework, read, play games or watch something. Even sitting in silence too, but this was different. Familiar, but new, he desperately wondered what the evolving boundaries were. After all this was a date night and not just another evening at home for two friends. He wanted to make it seem a little different, but he wasn’t sure how and he longed for the comfort and ease that had always infused his time spent with Ram. He slid the last plate onto the rack, folding the towel and securing it onto the countertop, Ram propped next to him waiting.

King ran a hand through his hair, wondering what to suggest.

“Movie?” That was a date activity wasn’t it?

“Movie? Is that so you don’t have to lose again?” Ram asked, swaying away from the shoulder shoved his way.

“Oh? Is that a challenge, come on then Cool boy. Let me show you how wrong you are,” King declared, grabbing Rams arm and dragging him over to the sofa to get themselves set up. King hunched up on the floor, eyes fixed to the small screen perched on the coffee table, fingers shiftingacross the keypad in increasingly desperate and frustrated patterns as he found himself at an all too familiar disadvantage. After losing two rounds King resorted to distraction to turn the odds his way, shifting into Rams eye-line and leaning suddenly against his legs before pushing his hands up and out the way. Ram lifted his legs up beside him on the sofa and King hit the floor hard. Twisting round he pouted up at Rams unrepentant expression, hauling himself up again, attempting to inflict physical damage with his glare. Ram feigned ignorance, completing the round before acknowledging his observer.

“Accepted defeat? Wanna watch something instead?” he suggested, reaching forward to clasp Kings shoulder and squeezing slightly. Nodding his head in agreement King made for the kitchen to grab some snacks and drinks while Ram cleared the gaming bits and pieces, rearranged the cushions on the sofa and pulled up a movie he knew King had wanted to see.

Anticipation thrummed through Kings veins, but he didn’t know for what exactly. He took his time pouring the drinks and tipping the bags of popcorn out into a bowl. After an absence of several weeks it felt so right to have Ram back in the condo, and his increased awareness, well conscious awareness at least, meant that although it felt familiar the evening hadn’t felt the same as before either. He’d been relieved how gently they had stepped into a new stage, Rams thumb to his face a smallbut clear signal that they were moving forward in this new direction. Yet he felt a little uncertain. Having finally accepted his feelings he had spent the last week assaulted by visions of what a closer relationship with Ram could entail. Some of his waking dreams had been extremely vivid. He folded the tea towel and settled it on the table, soothing it gently as he might one of his plants he was fretting over. He felt, rather than saw Rams approach as he came to stand behind him, bracketing King with his arms.

“King?” he said, reaching for an arm and turning King to face him.

King turned gaze fixed on Rams chest before a finger gently pushed his chin up.

“Okay?” Ram added.

King nodded, incapable of saying anything as he absorbed the heat of Rams arms, the closest they had been to a real embrace.

“You sure?” Ram checked. King still said nothing and Ram stiffened slightly.

“Has tonight been okay? Is it not what you wanted?” he asked.

King started, focussing on the man in front of him, a shadow of his horrified expression slowly solidifying on his face as he watched King closely.

“Tonight’s been good, really good. It’s nice to have you here again. I’m not having any second thoughts,” King rushed out, determined to banish even the spectre of that particular expression.

“So why are you here hiding, not with me?” Ram asked.

“I’m not hiding,” King argued, stopping when he saw Rams disbelief.

“I’m not, I’m just nervous I guess,” he tried to explain.

“Why? Is it too much?” Ram asked, catching himself and purposely taking a step back.

“No!” King exclaimed, catching hold of Rams shirt sleeves and pulling him back in.

“No, it’s not too much,” he added, stroking his hands gently up Rams arms, fingers trailing from wrists to biceps to hold them gently. Ram looked into his eyes deeply, searching them as he held his breath. Encouraged, his hands moved from the counter top to Kings waist, barely making contact as if King was as fragile as a spun sugar decoration. King answered the movement with one of his own, gently sweeping his hands further up to meet behind Rams neck.

“Hey Cool Boy,” he whispered as he leaned forward and lent into the embrace, head falling to Rams shoulder. Ram tightened his hold, pulling King against him and held him close, enjoying the feeling of finally having him in his arms.

“Not too much at all,” King continued into Rams shoulder, breath hitting his chest. “This is good,” he added, listening to the rustle of the shirt against his ear and inhaling the faint smell of the fabric conditioner, mixed with the cologne Ram was wearing. He shifted slightly as he tried to remember if he had noticed the aroma before, coming up short. It made him grin, had Ram made an effort just like he had? With a brief squeeze King slowly loosened his hold, stroking across Rams shoulders as he was released slightly.

“Come on,” Ram said, taking Kings hand and leading him back to the sofa, maintaining their face to face position, but not relinquishing the hand clasped in his. He shifted one hand further up, to stroke against Kings pulse point, reminiscent of the last time he had held Kings wrist.

“Explain?” Ram asked.

King looked at Ram carefully, catching the strand of his scattered thoughts, wondering how to explain clearly.

“I know I was the one who took longer to figure this out, but we still haven’t really talked about this. Us. So I still don’t really know where we go next.” A quick check showed Ram was waiting, giving King the time he needed. ”I should tell you I’ve not really dated anyone before, but I’m not inexperienced.” King flushed a little, wondering what Ram would make of that, but rushed on. “Since I realised that I like you and it’s more complicated than just being a friend I’ve been… thinking about what that might mean, the things that might happen.” King closed his eyes feeling the burn in his cheeks intensify.

“And is that good or bad?” Ram asked, shocking King into reopening his eyes.

“Oh it’s good.” King said, head nodding along in eager affirmation.

Ram jolted slightly as the reality struck him, he couldn’t resist the tease. “You’ve been thinking about me and you? Doing what exactly?”

“Cool boy!” King admonished, cheeks aflame. “So I guess what I’m asking is what you see happening?”

“You’re not the only one thinking about where we might go,… with that. And I’ve had longer to think about it.” Ram answered, pausing to watch that hit home. “But we can go at whatever pace feels right for us.” He leaned forward to pull King against him once more, lifting one hand to play with Kings hair gently. “Okay?” he said into Kings ear.

“Sounds good,” King replied, nuzzling into Rams shoulder. They stayed like that for a few minutes until Ram gently pushed King from him.

“Now let’s watch that movie.”

After a quick trip back to the kitchen King placed a bowl next to Ram and settled on the floor again, shuffling into Rams knee to lean there. As the opening credits rolled King shuffled lower, head resting against Rams knee, breath held tight within in readiness for any sign of rejection, despite their conversation. Instead, warm fingers clasped the nape of his neck the tips reaching into his hair to sooth the back of his head gently. Enjoying the sensation King pushed his head into the motion, resting his palm on the knee near his head and brushing his thumb along the edge of Rams leg. Basking in the gentle touches he watched as the opening sequence unfurled, splashed across the screen in an explosion of action, frantic evasion of chasing goons and a chance meeting with a hapless bystander, until the culmination of the sequence resulted in a daring cliff top leap to escape.

Ram scoffed and King twisted, dislodging the fingers on his neck to trail across his cheek.

“Too obvious?” he asked, “Hey, it’s action, you need to have the big set pieces or what’s the point,” King justified. “Oh and where’s my popcorn? Got to have that too!” he added twisting away to grab the bowl, prevented by a swift steal from Ram who lifted it out of reach.

“Hey, Cool boy, no fair,” King tried, pet lip pushing out, a ploy intended to persuade Ram to take pity on him. An unsuccessful ruse it would seem as Ram didn’t budge. King climbed onto the sofa, snatching the bowl and hunching protectively around it as he sampled a handful of kernels. Making sure to make exaggerated hums of appreciation, he chanced a glance over his shoulder, taunting Ram.A large hand hoisted him backwards, toppling him back into a firm chest, threatening to upend the bowl. King steadied the popcorn at the expense of his balance, relying on Ram to prevent him from falling further.

“Careful, that was nearly a disaster,” King started, until his proximity to Ram muted his voice, his face so close that focussing was difficult and sound seemed to fade. King met the gaze considering him, mind blank as he frantically rummaged for his next words, or move. A twitch of the lips at eye level drew his gaze, causing an involuntary flick of a tongue over suddenly dry lips.Dragging his eyes away King clasped the popcorn bowl to his chest and lifted a handful again. Reconsidering with the hand halfway to his mouth he altered trajectory and offered the mouthful to Ram. Soft lips brushed his fingertips in acceptance and King shuffled upright again with a teasing “You could have just asked.”

Ram pulled King into his side, his arm remaining around his shoulders as he took the bowl to settle in between them.

“Where would the fun in that be?” he asked, provoking a chuckle from King who settled himself against Rams shoulder as he fought to keep calm about the arm holding him. He was hyper aware of the warmth of Rams embrace and refused to risk losing it to his own nerves. Rams cheek grazed against the top of his head rubbing gently and he gave him a soft swat. “Movie. Watch,” he ordered, even as he reached out and took Rams free hand in his, squeezing slightly.

Settling into place for the rest of the movie, King reclaimed his prized popcorn, feeding Ram at the urging of a nudge of his head. He was grateful the plot unfolding in front of them was recognisable, sticking to a standard format, as he only had half his attention on the screen. The rest of his thoughts were busy cataloguing the feel of his head on Rams shoulder, the warmth of the body beside his, the tingles the occasional hand squeezes fired through his body. And this was just the start, he buried further into the embrace, suspended in the moment.

Closing credits bathed the room in a suddenly brighter light and King stretched slightly, working out the aches that had begun to call for his attention after two hours in one position.

Ram squeezed his shoulder waiting till King turned to face him.

“What d’you think?”

“It was alright, a good bit of trash cinema, but the betrayal? Way too cliche.”

Ram tilted his head in curiosity.

“The father figure, the one person the lead always depends on and trusts, always turns out to be the bad guy” King complained. Ram just laughed and shrugged his shoulders, before stretching himself. He dropped his arms to discover King watching him closely a small smile playing across his lips. Reaching for Kings hands he pulled them into his lap, stroking across the back of them.

“I really ought to go,” he said, it was getting late.

King nodded. While part of him wanted to argue he didn’t want to push things further. All in all it had been a pretty good first official ‘more than friends’ night. He followed Ram down the entryway, until a thought struck him on how to make the evening nearly perfect. He rushed off, puzzling Ram as he straightened up, shoes on. King approached him again, hand behind his back.

“Hey Cool boy, tonights been good hasn’t it,” he asked.

Ram smiled, the soft one King was beginning to crave, as he nodded.

“Well then, I think you’ve forgotten something,” King challenged him.

Ram paused, unsure, eyes fixed on the hidden hand. King pulled the Venus flytrap in front of him, eyes stuck to it as he bit his lip.

“This is yours, it should still be yours - if you’ll have it?” he offered, too scared to look up. The plant was Rams, it always had been and he was hesitant to unmask how meaningful its ownership had become. He missed the surprise on Rams face, chased away by a soft warm look, first at the plant, then shifting to Kings downturned head.

“I’d love to. It is important to me. After all, it means you,” Ram said, leaning over and catching Kings chin. Lifting his face to his he met Kings gaze. “Thank you,” he said before closing the distance and placing a soft kiss to Kings lips momentarily, before pulling away again and accepting the plant. King released it easily, his lips stretching wider and wider as he registered not only the kiss, but also the fact that Ram had told him out loud that he was important to him, for the first time sure what the words meant. Ram mirrored his smile, before sighing and opening the door.

“I need to go,” he said, beginning to back down the corridor. ‘Good night.”

“Mmm, text me when you get in, let me know you’re safe,” King asked, watching. He waited until Ram was at the door to the stairwell to yell, “Cool Boy? Just so you know, you’re important to me too.” He pulled back and slammed the door without waiting for a reply, dancing a little jig down the entryway as he made his way back inside.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And now we are finally taking some steps in the right direction.


	7. Study date

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Let me guess.  
> You’re Phus ‘study group’?  
> Just you.
> 
> Ram looked around searching for him, but King slipped behind the trees again, smiling as he remembered the first time he did this, teasing Ram with his photo trail, determined to steal his attention.
> 
> If you’re here, come help.

King paused as he rounded the corner near the tennis courts on Tuesday evening looking for the first year study group. Phu had bombarded him with pleas for help, claiming the success of half his class hung in the balance. King had tried to put him off, but Phu had pulled such a pitiful face that King had relented, texting Ram that he would have to delay their plans to meet for dinner. To Kings annoyance there was no study group in sight, just Ram, sat doing his homework. Well that killed any remaining doubts he may have had about how involved the first years were in providing these little meetings. Far more than the hapless bystanders King had assumed them to be. On reflection King supposed he should be flattered. The lengths Deuns friends had gone to in their efforts to protect him from Bohn had been excessive, Ram in particular. In contrast, their current meddling and interference displayed enthusiastic support for his own increasing place in Rams life. He smiled to himself, well at least he still got to see Ram tonight and earlier than he’d expected. He shouldn’t waste Phus dramatic acting debut really he supposed, snapping a photo and sending it to Ram.

**Let me guess.**

**You’re Phus ‘study group’?**

**Just you.**

Ram looked around searching for him, but King slipped behind the trees again, smiling as he remembered the first time he did this, teasing Ram with his photo trail, determined to steal his attention.

**If you’re here, come help.**

Ram swung round, chasing the chime of his phone to stare at King, who smirked as he abandoned his hideout. He waved a greeting before settling into his usual place, upper arm brushing Rams in a welcoming lean and picked up the worksheets. Studying the questions and scanning what Ram had done so far, King retrieved the pen from his top pocket, circling a couple of errors and explaining them without really thinking about it, letting the familiarity sooth him. Ram lent over to check what King was doing before he reclaimed the sheets nodding and slouching over his work to make the corrections before moving on to the subsequent questions.

King examined Rams hands as they moved, enjoying the quiet companionship, his eyes glued to the long fingers and smooth skin revealed by rolled up sleeves. The edge of Rams forearm tattoo was just visible, peeking out from beneath the crumpled white sleeve. King smiled at it, recalling his first sight of it and how he had pulled Rams arm into the photos he took. The one still set as his profile picture. His fingers started to walk across the table, reaching out to touch it, until King caught what it was he was doing. He wanted to stroke it softly, run his fingers up that arm and maybe keep going to stroke the one on Rams neck. King stilled as his heartbeat picked up. How had he not realised how much he wanted this man?

“King?” Ram called, turning his head to look when he received no response.

King sat still, captured in the gaze that was turned to him, another echo of their previous encounter. His mind ran over that night when he held his breath as Rams gaze had seemed to question him, see him, know him. His heart replayed a familiar tattoo as it beat faster still. He relived the need to escape before he crossed a boundary, despite being oblivious to exactly what that signified at the time. But this time there was no boundary, if he wanted to cross that line he could.

“King?”

King shook his head to clear it and returned to the here and now

“Cool Boy?” he replied. Ram just fixed him with a look and tapped on the page in front of him.

“Oh, right,” King looked at the working shown on the question, hand moving and ticking as he went. “Yup, yup, yep. Ah, no here you need to substitute in the value you get from this formula, you can’t use this one,” he explained, underlining the offending section and circling the required equation and values. He watched as Ram examined what he’d done, and then proceeded as he’d suggested, completing the rest of the calculation when he was done. Lifting his head to check with King once, Ram flashed him a grin of thanks before moving on again. Kings fingers itched anew to move, so this time he let them, dropping his hand under Rams arm to stroke the bare skin of the forearm. Ram startled slightly, pen skittering on the page before he reached out and captured Kings fingers with his free hand, the tips of his fingers stroking over Kings palm gently.

“Stop,” he instructed with a warning gaze before returning to his work. Kings momentary pout gave way to a gentle smile as he enjoyed the feeling of his hand in Rams and the heat shared between their touching shoulders that jostled slightly as Ram continued to scribble calculations on the sheet in front of him, quickly working his way through the remaining page.

“That’s it?” King asked. ”Got it now?” he added, as Ram flipped the pages closed and began to pack up. Nodding in affirmation Ram sat his bag on his knee and looked at King, eyebrow raised.

“What?” King asked.

Ram titled his head slightly in response, unimpressed at the evasion.

“Oh that?” King started, clasping a knee to his chest, chin propped on top. “I like your tattoos.”

Ram fixed King with a pointed look, unimpressed at the evasion.

“I do,” King protested, reaching out to clasp Rams arm as he ran a finger across the triangular border, tracing the movement with his eyes. “It’s your fault. You expect me to resist this temptation,” he pouted, detecting Rams bemusement as he peeked at his reaction. “I just figured out that I’ve always wanted to touch them, even before. So I was thinking about that.”

“Always?” Ram asked, the corner of his mouth twitching as he caught hold of the hand on his arm, stilling it.

King nodded “Yeah, then I thought that now maybe I can, if I want. So I did,” he finished.

“I noticed. Not great for my concentration,” Ram complained.

“But I think you like it?” King teased.

Ram lent forward, skewering King with a look. “I do like it, and there are so many more for you to explore,” he suggested, amusement creasing his eyes as he pointedly observed the blush staining Kings cheeks.

“Ram!” he exclaimed, pulling back and chucking in disbelief at the comment.

Running his hand through his hair King dug in his pocket, distracted as his phone chimed, Ram’s echoing the notification seconds later. Checking the screen King sighed at the offending message.

“Not here,” he said, turning his phone to Ram to show him a picture of the two of them, clearly taken recently, ‘What exactly are you studying King?’ Tee had added underneath. Ram tilted his phone to share the identical image only accompanied by a teasing message from Ting Ting.

“You got it too? Have you been getting the others?”King asked.

Ram frowned and King quickly swiped through his chat feed to show Ram what he meant. A picture of Ram sat alone by the gear statue with a question asking who he would be waiting for, another of Ram with some classmates as one lent in close, accompanied by speculation considering whether King should be concerned, a selfie from Tee with Ram and Phu in the background asking if King wanted to join them.

Ram shook his head, he hadn’t seen those, but when he turned his phone to show King his, a different selection of photos and comments where revealed, courtesy of the idiots King called his friends. King lent over and scrolled up.

“When? Tee was there too that day,” he said pointing to a photo of him sat with Boss and Mek that accused him of third wheeling. “That was in class, we were all there, bored out our brains, the professor droned on and on all lesson!?” he argued with a caption that asked who he was missing to be sat so sad in class. Ram just gave him a look and King stopped his rambling, glancing around in the fruitless quest to spot who was spying on him this time.

He pondered the likelihood of the whole group crouching in the darkened courtyard, dismissing it almost instantly, it was far too quiet for that. More conceivably, one or two shadows were around, but even that was too many for his liking. Their intentions were good, he could accept that, yet he was sure they all enjoyed his discomfort too, the never ending photo story testament to that. He hadn’t shared the latest developments with them yet, wanting to settle into this very new feeling before subjecting it to the fire of his friends teasing. He doubted knowing would end the ribbing, only the less than subtle set ups. He and Ram deserved a little time to work through this adjustment without the ceaseless snooping of his friends. But he wasn’t going to let their efforts go completely to waste, at least his plans to eat with Ram hadn’t really suffered for the meddling.

“So want to give them the slip and get something to eat?” King asked, slipping out of his seat and gesturing for Ram to follow him off campus to their regular haunt.

Their evening remained undisturbed after the first photo. King hoped that meant whoever had been spying had left them be, realising constant observation was unhelpful to their overall aim. Instead they had been able to savour their favourite dishes, unfettered by additional onlookers as they shared tasty morsels back and forth, with only occasional stealing of food. 

Once finished Ram had led King away from the stall to an ice cream parlour, informing him that he needed to refine his tastes. King flushed at the reminder until the range of flavours caught his eye. They ended up sharing a mixed 3 scoop tub of cherry bakewell, clotted cream with dried strawberry pieces and double choc chip. Ram had withheld the last bites until King admitted that perhaps a good farm ice cream was superior to his lolly. Lingering, King had chattered happily about his plants, the news from their friends and even his assignments, until a glance at the prominent wall clock chased them out to ensure Ram made the last bus.

Hoisting his bag securely onto his shoulder once more King sighed as he spotted the bus stop come into view, steps slowing. Ram reduced his pace to match, brushing Kings arm to catch his attention.

“Are you sure you have to go?” King asked, reluctant for the evening to end.

Ram nodded as he halted, twisting to face King and catch hold of his wrist, a familiar caress passing across his pulse point.

“I won’t get to see you till the weekend, at least” King complained, completing the circle as he reached for Rams other arm. Both of them had assignments and important quizzes this week, each loathe to distract the other too much. With conflicting group project sessions claiming any free time they might have managed to eek out the pair had already agreed further plans would have to be put on hold.

“I know,” agreed Ram, “But you’re becoming too distracting.”

King studied the ground at his feet as he grumbled, “But I can’t help you if I’m not allowed to see you.” He kicked at a pebble. “Text me if you need help, I don’t mind.”

“I don’t want to stop you working,” Ram asserted. “You have a reputation to uphold.”

King smiled confidently, “Helping you if you’re stuck won’t stop me acing this project, it’ll just provided some relief while I’m trying to help my friends.”

Ram shook his head fondly. “You should go, you don’t need to wait with me.”

King pushed out his pet lip, unwilling to leave yet. Ram pulled him in, encircling him in the warmth of his arms. Leaning into the embrace, King raised his head, pressing his cheek to Rams. He squeezed Ram tight, as the blood rushing through his veins made him feel as if he were pulsing himself. His contentment hummed in concert with the feeling of rightness he felt percolating through him, even as a tingle of excitement waited for more.

Withdrawing far enough to study Rams face he tilted in slowly, scrutinising his expression for any hint of discomfort until soft lips met his and his eyelids closed. The frozen moment grew as Kings senses narrowed down to that one small contact, only to be broken as he released his captured breath and gently moved his lips against Rams. The thaw proved contagious as Ram pulled him in tighter and matched him in the kiss.King hooked one arm around Rams neck as he trailed the fingers of his other hand along Rams shoulder and up his neck to stroke the dreamcatcher. Ram shivered slightly, pressing more firmly against Kings lips before pulling back and imprisoning the exploring fingers. King grinned in the face of the admonishing look, ducking back in to press his lips to Rams once more before tucking his head into Rams shoulder.

“I’ll see you off, then I’ll go,” King declared as he settled more firmly against Ram, forehead pressed into Rams neck. With ahum of agreement from Ram, King found himself enclosed in Rams hold once more as they settled in to wait for the bus, basking in the comfort of their hug.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is a little self indulgence. The opening image of this has been in my head almost since I started writing and I soooo wanted to include my own study chapter - so I did!
> 
> Also we are coming to the end soonish. Another 2 chapters I think and then we'll be done.


	8. Finding proof

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “What’s this for?” King asked as he grabbed the bag Ram carried on Friday night.
> 
> “For Bohn,” Ram replied, “So Deun can cook for him tonight.” 
> 
> “Well Bohn left, 30 minutes ago, with a distinctly smiley Deun,” he said shaking his head.
> 
> “So why are you still here?” Ram asked.
> 
> “Oh I got a sob story, that you’d be locked out and sleeping on the street if you didn’t get the keys.”

“What’s this for?” King asked as he grabbed the bag Ram carried on Friday night, proceeding to tip it out over the bench.

“For Bohn,” Ram replied, looking a little less than impressed.

“Why have you got it?” King added in confusion as he examined the produce all over the bench. One of the more annoying soliloquies that Bohn was apt to begin was on the joys of shopping for groceries with his daring Deun. King had fought the urge to strangle him the last time Bohn had recounted the tale of his most recent shopping date.

“So Deun can cook for him tonight.” Ram explained. King paused, brain whirring until hesnorted. At least Bohn and Deuns plan seemed a little more thought out than Phus study date and Tees volunteer pairing.

“Well Bohn left, 30 minutes ago, with a distinctly smiley Deun,” he said shaking his head.

“So why are you still here?” Ram asked.

“Oh I got a sob story,” King explained, lifting a set of house keys up, “that you’d be locked out and sleeping on the street if you didn’t get the keys.”

King shook his head again, credit where credit was due. Bohn and Deun had clearly put some thought into this one. And honestly it was difficult to be too upset with this opportunity. A notification chime startled the pair and Ram glanced at his phone.

“Deun says we should enjoy our dinner,” Ram shared, shoving the phone back into his pocket and looking at King.

“Subtle!” King poked through the ingredients on the table, doubting his ability to make something suitably edible. “Can you cook?” he asked.

“Some, Deun insisted on teaching us all a little last summer.” Checking his messages following a further chime Ram fixed King with a look. “He’s even sent recipes.”

King shook his head, a smile escaping his best efforts to hold it in at the prospect of another quiet evening with Ram.

“Well it would be a shame to let this all go to waste,” he suggested, shoving the various items back into the carrier. “So what do you say Cool boy, my place?”

“It’s closest,” Ram agreed, taking Kings wrist as he clambered to his feet. King lifted his wrist higher, exasperated expression fixed on Ram as he twisted his wrist and slipped his hand up to grab hold of Rams.

“I think I like this better,” he shared, before his confidence failed him, shying away from meeting Rams gaze and biting his lip. Ram flexed his fingers, splaying them around Kings to interlock them. He watch a shy smile bleed across Kings face before turning and pulling him along as normal, even with the new grip he had.

King trailed behind, gaze set on their clasped hands as his arm stretched out in front of him. He felt the happiness bubbling up from his chest and escaping into his throat, chasing a giggle out of his mouth. Ram turned, intrigued to see what had provoked the giddy exclamation. King smiled at him, pulling back slightly on his arm, slowing Ram with his resistance, before rebounding forward till they stood said by side. Pushing their joined hands further down King lent in towards Ram, knocking shoulders with him, before pulling away and swinging his hand in front, tugging Rams’ with him. Rams lips lifted in an echo of the smile plastered across Kings face as they strolled on to the edge of the park and approached the bus stop.

Resisting the urge to pull away under the scrutiny from two or three people gathered under the shelter King instead lifted the groceries.

“So what’s for dinner then?”

Ram hesitated a minute, surrendering to the need to check when his memory failed him. Retrieving his phone to find Deuns recipe he tilted the screen so King could see.

“Oh, looks good” King said, finger flicking through the images. “Can you manage it?” he added, reading the instructions and watching Rams face for any indication of concern.

“Should be okay,” Ram reassured him, face pinching in frustration when King continued to look seriously skeptical.

“Should be? It better be. My food is at stake,” King declared, with a lift of his chin as he sniffed.

Rams retort stayed buried in his throat, cut off by the arriving bus.

Boss lowered his phone and grinned at the picture on screen, he’d caught the clasped hands perfectly, let King try and deny this one. He grinned at Mek, jiggling in place in celebration, whilst Mek grabbed his phone to examine his handiwork. Getting thenod of approval he snatched it back.

“Time to share the good news!” he gloated as he tapped away, sending the message to the group chat to claim the stake money for the first definitive photo. Mek grabbed his shoulders, steering him down the street to a roadside cafe to get themselves some food, their earlier hunt for sustenance postponed in favour of taking advantage of Bohn and Deuns set up to seek the photo opportunity.

Pushing the distracted Boss into a chair Mek swept up the menu and after a quick scan through ordered for both of them. Boss remained unaware of his surroundings, busy watching for responses to his photo, and answering questions. Mek lent over his shoulder to watch the developing argument, Bohn asserting that as he and Deun set up tonight’s King and Ram meeting the prize money should be theirs. Tee and Phu were complaining that the photo provided wasn’t proof, they had seen Ram pull King about before and King had said it meant nothing.

“Nothing, he says,” Boss protested, “Has he seen the look on Kings face. Damn it, I should have taken a video. Let’s see him argue with that little bloody skip King did.”

Mek just smiled and shook his head, thanking the server as he brought their food. Boss was still distracted, but with a little prompting - namely Mek lifting his hand and placing his spoon into it - he began to lift food into his mouth, despite not looking at what Mek had ordered or what he was about to consume.

“Bohn is not getting that money!” Boss promised, hand tapping on the table as he thought hard about what to do. Mek almost didn’t dare think what he was about to get dragged into. When Boss got fixated on something there wasn’t much anyone could do to stop him, even when they could see the car crash approaching fast. But at least this was relatively harmless, King was clearly in deep with the first year, and although the others may still be thinking that King needed a little prodding Mek had noticed the contentment and happiness that King had worn close like a cloak all week. He was fairly certain his friend had sorted something out.

“Oh no you don’t,” Boss suddenly exclaimed gesturing at the screen of his phone agitatedly. Mek pulled the screen towards himself to see what theproblem was. Phu and Tee had declared Boss’ photo inconclusive and seemed to be setting out to get their own. Phu having tried Rams dorm and found it empty the pair were now planning to head for Kings. Mek sighed, imaging Kings reaction if Phu and Tee arrived. He dug in his pocket for his phone, texting Bohn directly, needing back up if he was going to stop this. Boss was already halfway out of his seat, only halting when Mek took a firm hold and made him wait. The server quickly packed up the remains of their meal as Mek settled the bill, before he allowed an agitated Boss to drag him in the direction of Kings condo.

Fifteen minutes later, sticky with the exertion of running after a hurrying Boss, Mek found himself outside Kings condo. In the dappled light from the entrance he could see Deun gesticulating wildly at a chastened Phu, while Bohn and Tee were in full flow, each determined to prove they were right.

“….Ram say? Did you think about that?” Deun was ranting, finger poking in Phus chest. “You know he will tell us when he is ready, not before. Why are you trying to force this?” he demanded. Mek shook his head, King was the same, he wouldn’t appreciate the interfering - particularly at his home, but he also knew Tee, there was no way he would let this go without a fight. A fight Bohn would quite happily have if it meant protecting King and proving his superiority.

“Why can’t I just go knock on the door? I don’t want to stay, but I want to know for sure,” Tee argued.

“You are not going up there to bother him, do you know how much effort Deun put in to get Ram and King to be having this meal? You’re not ruining it just cause you want a picture.” Bohn retorted.

Boss was looking between the two in confusion. “Why’d you need to see them? I sent the picture. And I’m telling you Tee it wasn’t like before. King was holding his hand. He was smiling and swinging their hands - there is nothing to prove. I won!”

“So why hasn’t he told us then,” Tee asked.

Mek just laughed, looking around the gathered group. “You really have to ask? Who is stood outside their friends house late on a Friday night just so they can ‘prove’ what is going on in his private life?” he said opening his arms to encompass them all.

“Yeah, this is really going to encourage him to talk to you. You lot are as bad as my friends,” Deun added.

“Hey,” complained Phu, “We didn’t really do anything to you…” he paused before whispering, “it was Bohn we made do the trials.”

Bohns head shot up an evil grin settling into place. Tee looked at him, a matching smirk stretching across his own face.

“Trials?” Boss added, “Ooh what can we get Ram to do?”

“Time for a little pay back Bohn?” asked Tee.

“Now look what you’ve gone and done,” Deun berated Phu.

“Babe?” Bohn asked, pleading for permission.

“Don’t look at me like that. No, don’t …. Oh okay, fine. Ram shouldn’t have demanded that fight. Just don’t do anything too extreme okay?” Deun asked, glancing around the assembled second years, burying his head in his hands as he saw the growing smirks.

“Do you see this? When Ram wants to know who’s fault this is don’t expect me to cover for you,” he warned Phu.

“Don’t think of warning him either,” added Tee, throwing an arm across Phu's shoulder.

“So what should we do?” Boss asked.

“This is going to take some planning - we should go somewhere.” Bohn suggested, pausing when he saw Deuns frown, “but not tonight - Lets meet up tomorrow,” he finished.

Boss and Tee nodded in agreement and the group began to disperse, Bohn and Deun back to the car, Tee and Phu back towards campus. Mek lifted the take out and Boss grinned, falling into step as Mek turned for home.

King might have to eat his words and apologise to Bohn for all the times he had scoffed at his florid descriptions of how much he liked it when Deun cooked for him. Perched at his table he had a front row seat to watch Ram preparing their meal, referring carefully to the recipes before assuredly carrying out whatever needed to be done. Shedding his tie and rolling up his sleeves to reveal his tattoos Ram looked at ease as he cooked up a seeming feast. Kings attempts to help had been gently, but firmly, shooed away after the second time he knocked over one of the bowls, so now all he had to do was watch, a feast for the eyes.

Ram glanced over and let him know it would be a while so King pottered into his room to wash up and change, before ambling back with a book in hand. This ended up dropped on the table as he snuck into the kitchen and gently encircled Rams waist as he carefully stirred the ingredients in the frying pan. Ram hummed in query and King simply sighed and rested his head on the shoulder in front of him. Ram held still for a moment, but when no more was forthcoming he returned his focus to the pan in front of him, enjoying the feeling of having King close.

When he finished he gently nudged King up and turned in the circle of his arms.

“It’s ready,” he said waiting for King to let go so he could plate the dishes.

King let out a quiet breath and uttered his thanks, dropping his hands to collect the cutlery before following Ram to the table. As they sat to eat King reached out and gestured for Rams hand, taking hold of it as he continued to eat one handed, passing occasional morsels to Ram, holding out the bites until he accepted whatever King was trying to feed him. Ram look closely at King, analysing his reaction to each new dish he tried, anxious for his approval.

King noticed him watching and squeezed the hand he clasped.

“It’s good,” he said, “You can cook more often.”

Ram chuckled a brief laugh shaking his head at King. “Is that an invite? Or more like an instruction?” he asked.

“If you're going to cook you’ve got an open invite,” King teased.

“What if I don’t want to cook?” Ram asked.

“Oh you’ve still got an open invite, we’ll just need to keep working on our list of good take out and delivery nearby.”

“You could always cook,” Ram suggested, provoking abelly laugh from King.

“This is coming from you. You chased me out of the kitchen. And you saw the sum total of my repertoire whilst you were staying here,” he retorted.

“I’m not going to be your personal chef!” Ram informed him.

“Maybe you’ll have to teach me then.” Images of them in the kitchen, a reverse of their earlier positions, sprang into Kings mind, Rams hands guiding his, arms encircling him as the heat of his body warmed King and the quiet words he spoke blew gently over his ear and neck. He felt a prickle of sensation run down his back, although he rather thought he’d struggle to learn anything much that way.

Ram just watched Kings musings, curious about the thoughts runningthrough his mind. Whatever it was seemed to be enjoyable if the little shiver and fluttering of King's eyes was any indication. After last Tuesday he had wondered how King was feeling about everything, they had seen each other around university, but they had both been aware of the eyes on them so kept a distance.

King shook himself a little and looked at the empty dishes on the table.

“I might have to thank Deun for his shopping, but if I do Bohn will feel justified in meddling.”

“Deun’s just as bad. Does it bother you?”

“I know they mean well, but it does make things difficult.”

“Difficult? How?”

“I don’t like feeling like I’m under scrutiny, it makes me self conscious.” King explained. “I… I feel like a fool. They could see it, you could see it, but I couldn’t and I don’t like feeling that they were right and I was wrong - it doesn’t happen.”

Ram looked at him, confusion swirling in the depths of his eyes. King caught the look and cursed himself.

“I’m happy Cool boy, with us, with where we are going. I just wish we could do that without the eager audience and their participation. At least while we get used to this, what it means for us,” he explained, skirting round the table to stand in front of Ram.

“Please don’t think I am regretting this,” he added, hands settling in what Ram was hoping would often be their new home, around his shoulders. His arms encircled Kings waist pulling him in so Ram could rest his head lightly against his stomach, cheek rubbing gently against the cotton of Kings shirt. He drew in deep breaths before releasing them slowly, letting the final vestiges of stress from the week fade from his muscles as he relaxed into the comfort of Kings hold. A gentle hand began to stroke his head slowly, fingers splaying to card through his hair softly, scratching slightly in reassurance. Ram allowed himself a quiet contented hum, prompting an answering one from King. He did nothing more than repeat his hum firmly and nestled into the material by his ear. Kings began to idly trace circles on Rams back, paths of heat meandering across his shoulder blades and climbing to his shoulders again. Sitting up slightly Ram rolled his shoulders and lifted his eyes to Kings face.

“Tired?” King asked. “Go sit on the sofa while I clear up. Go on. I’ll join you in a minute so don’t worry. King gripped his hands, pulling him to his feet, before turning and gently shoving him into the living area. Satisfied Ram was going to follow his instructions King turned and made swift work of stacking dishes in the sink and wiping the table. He didn’t bother with washing the pots, eager to get back to Ram.

Joining him on the sofa King shuffled into his embrace, pulling one arm around his shoulders and wriggling close enough to rest his head on Rams shoulder. King closed his eyes and sighed in contentment, rather than reaching for a game or movie like last time he was content to simply sit peacefully with Ram, soaking up the reassurance of their quiet companionship. He was thankful that Ram had given him this chance at a new beginning, relieved that he had managed to sort through the mess of his own feelings. He would have missed out on so much otherwise, but now he found himself happy and secure in the knowledge he and Ram had made the shift from individuals to a team, undoubtedly a prize worth fighting for.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was meant to be another quiet sweet evening, but Boss was determined to be involved, so he poked the hornets nest till all his friends were involved.


	9. Trials? Really?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Why hasn’t he said anything?” Boss asked.
> 
> “Who?” Tee said
> 
> “King. He knows what we’ve been up to. And he knows we know they’re spending time together, so why hasn’t he said anything?” Boss moaned.
> 
> “Why don’t you ask him if you’re so bothered?” Bohn suggested.
> 
> “Yeah right, that worked so well last time. And I don’t want to remind him about his threat about the photos thank you very much,” Boss scoffed.

“King, you need to come quick,” Tang rushed out, gasping for breath as he held himself up on the door frame.

“What?” King asked in confusion, glancing round his classmates to see if they had any idea.

“It’s Ram,” Tang added, “I think he and Bohn are going to have another fight.”

“What? Why?” demanded King, heading for the door and hauling Tang out as he asked, “Where?”

“The basketball courts. Tee, Bohn and Boss cornered him there to start organising his trials.”

“His what?” King burst out, disbelief stilling his face. Seriously, they’d all agreed it was ridiculous when Deun’s friends had insisted on the trials, Bohn an utter fool for going along with it. Now his idiot friends were about to pull their own!

“You lot have a lot to answer for - you know that right?” he asked Tang, who had the grace to look a little embarrassed.

“Yeah, okay. But we were just trying to protect Deun,” he argued

“And these idiots think they are protecting me,” King replied. Although, when he thought about it he wasn’t convinced. Screening prospective suitors wasn’t really their style, playing wingmen much more likely. So why this? Most likely for the hell of it or to poke fun at him. 

King stopped mid step, Tang pausing too. Actually that was far more likely. It’s not like he had talked to them about Ram this week, but the pictures and pursuit hadn’t let up one bit. For all he thought of them as idiots, they weren’t actually stupid, it wasn’t difficult for them to figure out something really was going on now. He may have been slow on the uptake, but the ease with which he had settled into the changing nature of his relationship with Ram left no room for further doubts. With his protective guard dropping, his own actions were increasingly revealing his feelings, at least for these friends who knew him well enough.

“What exactly did they say? And how did you know?” King grilled Tang, who flushed and suddenly looked anywhere but at the second year.

“Tang?” he demanded.

The first year continued to examine the ground as if some magical tunnel would appear to sweep him to safety away from King and his interrogation. Unsurprisingly it didn’t happen and King just waited arms folded.

“Ram?” Tang tried desperately.

“I’m pretty sure Ram can take care of himself. He took pretty good care of Bohn last time if I recall correctly,” he replied. He wasn’t worried, it was unlikely Bohn would actually physically hurt Ram. Deun’s wrath was not to be taken lightly, let alone facing Kings retribution and King knew his friend would be aware of that fact. In fact, the more he thought about it the more convinced he was that this was all simply a plot to get King to rush to the rescue so they could ambush him with questions.

“What was it that prompted this?” he asked, “In fact, show me the messages,” he insisted, holding out his hand.

“What messages?” Tang attempted, only to wilt under the unimpressed gaze that pinned him to his spot.

“You’ve been spending too much time with Ram, that’s just like him,” Tang complained, handing over his phone, open on a group chat called ‘Operation RamKing’. King skewered Tang with another piercing look as that registered before proceeding to scroll through the various messages. Finding the pictures from last Friday of Ram and him on the way to his condo and the ensuing mess of claim, counter claim and scheming, King sighed, wishing he was more surprised by his friends ridiculous shenanigans. It’s not like any of it had been necessary anyway.

He used Tangs phone to add himself to the chat, before handing it back and taking out his own, strolling to the nearest bench and sitting down. He took his time reading through the rest of the messages, before peering up at Tang, asking him,”Why are you still here? Shouldn’t you be going to help your friend deal with Bohn and the others?”

“Aren’t you coming?” Tang asked in surprise, even as he began backing up towards the courts.

“No, I don’t think so,” King replied, waving Tang off before looking back at his phone and perusing the more recent conversations of his friends. It was ridiculous, hiding in flower beds, waiting by the campus exit, following him home, all for what? A silly bet and to mess with King.

Flicking through his pictures he grinned, selecting a few here and there, Bohn the day after his fight with Ram, Boss and Mek from one of the first year events the hazers had set up, hair tied up with stickers and make up drawings all over their faces and finally Tee striped down to his vest and boxers doing push ups on the field when he lost their last silly bet. Posting all three at once he added a message about having far worse photos stored if they wanted to continue their idiocy and a reminder that his friends should consider who was likely to come off worse, if they tried to force Ram into anything.

Next he added Ram to the group, letting him know this is what his own friends had been up to too. Nodding in satisfaction when he saw Ram had read it, King delighted in the storm of denials from the first years, his pleasure not dented one bit by them all bemoaning Kings supposed betrayal.

A few moments later his phone chimed and he found a picture of some very shamefaced first years trying to shield their friend and block him from Bohn and co. Confident the situation was back under control King picked up his phone and headed back to his class to finish the discussion of their group project.

“Why hasn’t he said anything?” Boss asked three days later.

“Who?” Tee said

“King. He knows what we’ve been up to. And he knows we know they’re spending time together, so why hasn’t he said anything?” Boss moaned.

“Why don’t you ask him if you’re so bothered?” Bohn suggested.

“Yeah right, that worked so well last time. And I don’t want to remind him about his threat about the photos thank you very much,” Boss scoffed.

“Why do you need him to say something? We all know they must be together. The hand holding, the dinner dates,” Tee wondered.

“The fact King isn’t trying to tell us nothings going on anymore, even after he found out about the group chat is as good as an admission.” Mek added.

“But,” Boss protested, blowing out his cheeks in annoyance. He lifted his hands to drum on the table as he tried to find the best way to explain his frustration.

“Doesn’t he trust us? Is that why he won’t tell us?” he asked, realising that at least part of his unease was concern that one of his closest friends didn’t seem to feel he could talk to them.

“What?” came from all three of his companions, Bohn looking up from his phone as Tee dropped the book he was skimming and Mek reached for his arm to turn him to face them.

“What makes you think that?” Mek asked.

“Well… Bohn always shares what’s going on. We all knew he liked Deun, right from the start.”

“Yeah, but Bohns an oversharer, too much detail most of the time,” Tee argued, flinching away from the predictable swat.

“And I always tell you lot everything,” Boss added.

Tee glanced at Mek and then back to Boss. “Not everyone wants to share how they feel,” he added. Boss frowned for a minute, then flushed as he realised what Tee was referring to.

“And Kings always been quite private about the personal stuff,” Mek added, the unspoken ‘like me’ hanging in the air.

“Okay, but this is weird. We know. He knows we know. We know he knows we know. But we’re not talking about it” he argued.

“He also has a stubborn streak a mile wide,” Bohn laughed. “Don’t worry Boss, knowing King this has far more to do with him not wanting to admit you lot were right about him and Ram.”

“But it’s awkward, when we can’t talk like normal.” Boss moaned.

“Talk about what? Don’t tell me you want to know all the juicy details?” Tee teased.

“Of course,” Boss declared, a distinctly suggestive expression crossing his face. “But how can I ask him about stuff or tease him as normal? He’ll think we’re still messing with him and then…” Boss shivered, “the pictures.”

“Do you think he’s really upset about the bet and the group chat and stuff?” Tee asked, looking to Bohn for his opinion. Bohn shook his head as he considered Kings behaviour over the last couple of days.

“Nah, he doesn’t seem too upset and anyway we’d know if we were on the receiving end of his pay back. Last time it took me 3 weeks to get my hair back to a decent colour and cost me a pretty penny in plants,” he explained.

“Okay, so what do we do to get things back to normal?” Boss pleaded.

“I think we probably need to leave it, he’ll tell us when he’s ready” Mek replied.

“Yeah, that’s my call too. We’re better not talking about Ram or teasing him,” Bohn agreed.

“Does that mean the bets off?” Tee asked.

“Hell no!” protested Bohn, “first proof still wins the money,”

“But King…” Mek protested.

“We’re just gonna have to be sneakier,” Bohn suggested.

“You’re on!” Tee proclaimed. “I’ve spent too long on this to give up now.”

“I’m in too,” Boss agreed.

Mek just rolled his eyes, he was out voted and when King found out it wouldn’t matter if he said he hadn’t wanted to continue - he’d be in the firing line along with Boss. He may as well join in too.

Saturday night found the combined friend group at Boss’ parents house for an impromptu get together. Arriving last, Ram paused in the door way, glancing around the busy living room until his eyes settled on King, ensconced in a large armchair, for all intents and purposes his throne to survey his subjects. Their eyes met and Ram tilted his head slightly, a dip of the eye brows. King lifted the hand resting on the armrest just enough to make a small grabby hands motion, sufficient to get Ram moving across the space, cutting through the conversations and brushing off the greetings of the rag tag mix of friends till he could turn and slump in between Kings legs. He lent his head against one knee, closing his eyes and pulling in a deep breath, preparing himself for what was sure to be a baptism of fire, hopefully the last hurdle to complete this change in the status quo. A hand caressed his neck and slipped up into the hair on the nape, scratching gently. The other arm slipped across his front as King leaned forward to give Ram a squeeze, his cheek briefly nudging Rams head in comfort.

Ram opened his eyes to a find himself the centre of attention of a silent room. His friends were nudging each other and whispering between themselves. Kings friends looked equally curious, but a raised eyebrow from him had them all looking at each other and desperately trying to pick up the threads of their broken conversation.

A chuckle by his ear had him turning as he met Kings gaze, who was amused by his friends cowering to Rams flat stare. While he’d missed the conclusion of the confrontation on the basketball court, the pictures of his embarrassed friends picking themselves up after they had tried to wrestle Ram into coming to find King had been circulating the university social media pages all week, a number proving to be meme worthy, much to Boss’ very vocal horror.

“Enjoy the quiet while it lasts. They won’t be able to resist saying something soon,” he advised, lifting his phone into Rams eye-line, the photo from the day before set up ready to send to the group chat.

“Ready?” he asked, waiting for permission before sitting back, leaving one hand clasped on Rams shoulder as he rejoined the conversation, listening to Tee lamenting the work set by one of their more intimidating professors. Ram dropped his head against the seat and wrapped a palm around Kings ankle, stroking his leg under the hem of his trousers softly, awaiting the chorus of surrounding phones.

It didn’t take long, the notifications accompanied first by a squeeze of his shoulder, then a surprised shuffle amongst their friends. The quiet was disturbed by hissed conversations that built into a growing commotion. He raised a hand to clasp Kings, stilling its nervous tapping in his hold and took another look at King to reassure him. This had been Kings idea, but Ram wasn’t sure if this was anticipation or nerves kicking in, either way Ram wanted to calm the tension.

“King?” called Bohn and they both turned to look at him.

“Mm? Oh, I’m claiming the winnings. First proof. Time pay up,” King clarified, his taut muscles relaxing as he observed his friends stunned faces. “You didn’t really think I believed the act this week did you? All that ignoring anything even tangentially related to Ram?” he added, trying to stifle a laugh.

“But?” Boss started.

“We weren’t…” Tee tried only to be interrupted.

“Give it up Tee,” King told him, “Forth told me you were still running the pool. It’s his photo by the way, so I promised the money to him! I wouldn’t bother trying to do him out of the winnings,” he finished, a smirk breaking out at the groans of horror around him. The fourth year student was a great friend in a pinch, but he wouldn’t stand for any slight from his juniors. They all remembered their hazings too well to try.

“Really King?” Bohn demanded, “Really?”

“You know me better than that Bohn, this is letting you off lightly,” King replied.

Ram tuned out the ongoing argument, watching Deun shuffle closer, Ting, Tang and Phu following his lead. Deun’s eye crinkled at the corners as he smiled widely at Ram, making pleased motions as he sought confirmation. Ram nodded, a twitch of his mouth suppressed as he pressed his lips tighter. Deun smiled wider until a confused Phu broke the silence.

“So you’re official now?”

Ram tilted his head, impassive expression fixed in place.

Ting rolled her eyes and brandished her phone.

“Of course they are. Use your eyes,” she suggested, gesturing to Rams position at Kings feet.

Matching smiles flared on all his friends faces, Tang flashing a thumbs up his way, before a crafty look flashed across Deun’s face.

“But we haven’t given permission yet, what about Kings trials?” he teased.

Kings head turned as he caught his name.

“For real?” he asked, scrutinising Deun careful to gauge how serious he was. Deun’s gaze flicked to Ram, checking this was okay, but there was something more hidden in its depths. King felt Ram stiffen minutely, a sidelong look at his face revealing a hint of hope, swiftly wiped clean. King started slightly as he understood, confirming his notion with a swift gaze at Deun. Deun said nothing, just fixed him with an expectant gaze, as Kings own friends fell silent, waiting to see how this one would play out. He took a breath and squared his shoulders as he thought through what the younger students had tried to get Bohn to do.

“Lets see, Flowers?” he started, counting on his fingers.

“Done,” answered Ram. King felt the stiffness flow out of Rams shoulders, his heart twisting as he recognised this was the first time he was openly acknowledging Rams place in his life.

“Food?” King asked, pushing down a second finger.

“Yep - popcorn,” Ram decided. King smiled at that, he wasn’t sure that taking it out of a bag counted, but if it was enough for Ram that was good enough.

“Declaration?” King added, returning his arms to circle Rams neck. He rather thought they had that covered, if tonight wasn’t about him declaring to their friends that yes he really did like Ram, then he wasn’t sure what it was about.

“Phone,” replied Ram, hand outstretched. King handed his over, a suspicion blooming as he watched Ram busy himself resetting both his and Kings profile pictures, before holding them up for approval. King hummed in agreement and quickly saved the changes on both phones. Ram nodded in confirmation and faced his friends.

“All done.”

Deun studied King for a moment, before nodding his head decisively and grinning widely at King.

“What about the fight for your honour?” Phu asked Ram only to be cuffed over the head. Glancing at the indignant faces surrounding him Phu ducked an apology to King and shuffled back out of arms reach.

“Anything else?” King asked, looking at the other two. “Good,” he declared when theyshook their heads.

“What about you lot?” he asked his friends, who had observed the exchange. They looked to each other shrugging, shoving each other and pointing until Tee exhaled deeply in exasperation.

“You going to tell me you don’t hold hands?” he challenged. King rolled his eyes while Ram reached up and took hold of the arms still clasped around his neck. King just raised his eyebrows, a twitch of his lips echoed on the faces of his friends.

“You still going to say he’s not your boyfriend?”Boss teased, shaking Meks hand in his excitement.

King met the gaze Ram turned on him. “Nope, he’s definitely mine, as long as he’ll have me” he stated quietly, eyes locked on Rams, missing the surprise morphing into delight on his friends faces. Never had King been this open in front of them, no more deniels or evasions. Bohn lifted a fist for Tee to bump as Boss shuffled into Meks arms, giving a quick squeeze when they wrapped around him.

“I was right and you protested too much,” Mek reminded King.

“Maybe a squidge,” King agreed, to everyones amusement, a storm of reminders falling from his friends mouths, until Bohn barked out a laugh.

“Your sisters going to love this,” he chuckled, fixing Ram with an amused gaze “You think Kumfah was bad when she met Deun? You have no idea what you’re in for. Are you ready for that?” He almost felt sorry for the other man. Almost. As if on cue Kings phone began to ring.

“Why did you have to mention her?” King complained as he took the call. “Hi Sis,” he answered. “Umm, yes?… Okay.” He covered the phone and looked at Ram, “she wants to talk to you, come on,” he said with a jerk his head as he led the way out to the veranda for a little privacy.

The two groups of friends waited till the door closed before breaking into laughter as they began new conversations, some discussing the latest developments and some sharing gossip from classes as they broke into smaller groups and pairs until Phu and Tee found themselves looking at each other.

“So it’s you and me again is it?” Phu suggested, an awkward grin stretching across his face.

King hung up the phone and looked at Ram, stepping into the offered hug.

“Is it over?” he asked Ram plaintively, forehead nuzzling against Rams chest.

“Yes, the worst of it at least,” Ram reassured him, reaching up to caress Kings head.

“No regrets?”

“No. You?”

“No, its been a pain, and I know they’ll want to get their own back for the Forth thing, but it feels good to finally tell them,” King admitted, lifting his shoulders before rolling them backwards in an effort to ease the tension that had been building there.

“I don’t really think it was a surprise,” Ram suggested, gently massaging Kings shoulders with his fingers in an effort to help him relax. King hummed happily at the sensations, nuzzling further into Rams chest in a move reminiscent of his dogs. Ram allowed himself a grin at the thought, as he continued his ministrations, after all King wouldn’t see it and question him.

“I know, but it was getting to be ridiculous, so now they can stop obsessing about us and get back to their own lives. And we get to just be us with no more interference.” King declared, wriggling his shoulders.

“Good.”

“Yeah it is,” King agreed looking up at Ram and lifting his arms around his neck, dislodging Rams hands. Ram reached for Kings waist and pulled him in closer as he moved to whisper in Kings ear.

“So how long do we have to stay before we can get out of here?” he asked, listening for the catch in Kings breathing.

“We’re not going to get out of here that easily Cool Boy,” King murmured against his shoulder.

“Ah, well, I guess I’ll just have to make the most of this opportunity,” Ram answered, pulling King with him into the shadows of the veranda furthest from the door as he ducked down to press a brief kiss to his lips. King chased after his retreat, repeating the fleeting touch before glancing up at Ram.

“Just a little incentive to motivate you,” Ram suggested, smirking in anticipation, eyes twinkling with mischief. King shook his head as he stepped back and took Rams hand in his.

“That sounds like a challenge,” he mused, tilting his head to one side. “Okay, If I can get us out of here in the next half hour what’s my prize?” he asked, sparks floating in the depths of his eyes.

“You get us out of here and I’ll let you choose,” Ram offered, his voice dropping with promise.

King nodded and turned, hauling Ram behind him as they rejoined their friends to a chorus of suggestive comments and invasive questions. He could do this, after all it was worth putting up with the teasing if he got to call Ram his boyfriend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here is the last section. I had thought I might want to write an epilogue, but I don't think I will at this stage. This feels complete for now. 
> 
> I do have one outtake I might add, the second chapter from Rams POV. I ending up writing it to make sense of what was going on in my own head, but it never made it into the final cut.
> 
> Finally, I just wanted to say thanks to everyone who has taken the time to read, leave kudos or comment on this fiction. I haven't written anything much for the last 5 years and haven't finished anything for nearly 10. Posting here was a way of keeping myself accountable. Seeing people enjoying this almost as much as I have enjoyed writing it has definitely been a big motivation to keep going. So thank you.
> 
> Now to figure out what I want to write next, this has re-ignited the writing bug!


	10. Chapter 2 outtake - Rams take on that conversation.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A version of the conversation between Ram and King from Chapter 2.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Although this story is largely from Kings viewpoint I have written some sections from Rams viewpoint.
> 
> This chapter was written when I was stuck on the later conversation between King and Ram in the park after meeting Pin - It was my attempt to sort out where Ram would be in terms of his own thinking.
> 
> So Chapter 2 from Rams perspective.

Ram stopped a little distance away from the bench, waiting for King to notice him, not wanting to deal with his friends at this point. He was tired of second guessing what was going on with King and the only way to find out was to talk to him. But not with all the others.

King seemed awkward, his usual chatter drying up, and Ram swallowed a huff of irritation when he turned to talk to Phu, rather than him. He tried not to tense, waiting for King to come talk to him. When King seemingly ignored even Phus clumsy attempts at explaining Ram felt his patience snap and he grabbed hold of King, ignoring his uncharacteristic resistance to get them out of there so he could talk to him away from the others.

He had barley managed two steps before he found himself face to face with a smirking Tee, who raised a speculative eyebrow at his hold on Kings wrist and then settled back on one heel, arms crossing as he spoke to King.

“Not your boyfriend? Yeah right!” That caught Rams attention, he was a topic of gossip for the group? He nodded to Tee and Mek before setting off again, he needed to figure out what was going on. That he was the subject of gossip was confirmed with a following exchange between Tee and even Phu! He’d deal with his friends later, but it was becoming clear that he really needed to figure out what was happening with King.

He stopped and looked at King - he seemed a lot more like he had before the trip, unconcerned to be standing there with Ram and chattering as he usually did. But his words, they sent a shock through him. It wasn’tnecessarily a surprise he had become the subject of gossip, it wasn’t completely unexpected, even his own friends had become slightly more open with their comments as he and King grew closer. What was causing him alarm was the way King was talking about it. Okay, they hadn’t discussed where they were heading together, but Ram had thought they were on the same page.

Ram had tried to resist the determined intrusion into his world, but it was clearly a losing battle from the start, even Ruj picked up on the unique nature of Kings place in his life, long before Ram even spoke to him. He had been helpless against his need to get to know this bright, funny, inquisitive senior. The final nail in his coffin had been the way he felt seen by King, not dismissed as emotionless, mute or simply too much effort to figure out. No, King kept going, determined to figure him out, to see him and everything that made him who he was. And Ram had found himself defenceless against the care that King had shown him, consideration of his feelings, helping without needing to be asked, without needing anything in return, just gentle care.

And King, true to form was doing just that now, he could see Ram was upset and was trying to help, but for the first time that Ram could remember King didn’t seem to get it. His questions about where Ram had been, not connecting his hurt to Kings own comments, the ‘joke’ of a deeper relationship between the two. King reached for him and Ram swayed back, before he had even registered it. He felt his eyes tearing up and blinked determinedly, he would not give in to them. No, King wasn’t an ass. His friends might be unthinking and find the teasing fun, but he knew King better than that. He wouldn’t be thoughtlessly cruel. So…had he read more into this than King was giving. King stepped forward and Ram backed up again needing to maintain his space, to think. King proved that the comments of his friends were the furthest from his mind when he asked Ram about home again. He needed to know for certain, and that meant asking. He took a breadth and squared his shoulders.

“Who am I to you?”

If he needed confirmation that he was alone in seeing a special relationship between the two it became crystal clear as King failed to even understand his question. But he was a smart cookie, Ram knew he could figure it out, not that he could clarify what he meant anymore even if he tried, his throat dry, swallowing difficult. He raised an eyebrow and waited. Come on King, he thought. King was the one who understood him, King was the one who was important to him, King was the one he wanted to care for and protect. And more than that, it was Kings touch that sent shivers of anticipation and want down his spine. King he wanted to lean in and kiss. Yet looking at Kings face, clouded with confusion, it was obvious he was on his own. When King asked about the camping trip Ram felt the certainty that King had never thought of him beyond a platonic interest seep into his bones.

King paused waiting for a response, but Ram couldn’t speak, what did he do now? He longed to enfold King in his arms, he had been looking for the opportunity to show the boy how he felt, but now he knew he shouldn’t.

And then King dealt the death blow, calling Ram his friend. Ram froze, searching for some indication on Kings face that there was more to his statement, that he felt more, but there was nothing. What did he do? He couldn’t just pack his feelings back up and put them in a box. He just couldn’t. He couldn’t simply add King to his support network, he meant too much. And he wouldn’t repay what was clearly simply Kings usual kindness and care by making him feel uncomfortable and pushing for more. He needed to make a clear break. Let King think it was about the volunteer trip, that he had annoyed Ram, that he didn’t want to be friends, just another addition to King’s silent collection of companions that he talked to endlessly. Thoughts of Kings plants brought the venus flytrap to mind, currently accompanying him everywhere as he shifted between Deun’s and Tang’s houses to reduce the opportunity for his father to find him. But if King didn’t care, if it wasn’t the start of a declaration as he had thought, he didn’t think he wanted it anymore. He he let out a despairing chuckle as he thought about how he had told King to his face that it was important, but even that hadn’t registered with him.

“I have friends,” he told him, before searching his bag and handing back all the things he could find that belonged to King, making him take them even as he protested. He clenched his jaw to steel himself against the call to comfort King as he tried to refuse the returned items. He couldn’t stay or he would break, let King see, and he wouldn’t do that. He turned and left, pausing only to make sure Phu and Deun knew he was leaving before making good his escape, wishing he hadn’t taken the dogs back to Ruj. He yearned for their silent comfort now he was denying himself that from the man he had come to rely on.


End file.
